Let Us Count The Number Of Times

The current liberal government have held media circuses at senior centers and homes for the aged and made promises and allocated $$$$ but as a recent report in The Star points out not much has changed.

Ontario pledges $150M for seniors
Moira Welsh 72 min. ago
Two hours after he finished a three-day charity bike ride, Health Minister George Smitherman strode through the doors of a Belleville nursing home and announced funding to rebuild aging long-term-care facilities across ...

The people speak out......pro/con.

Tarnished golden years

Senior care `revolution' faltering

July 30

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So it seems that seniors in nursing homes are only worth $7 per day for food – up from the current $5.57. Seniors who are incontinent can get by with $1.20 worth of briefs. That would buy a senior maybe three pairs per day?

Health Minister George Smitherman's Bill 140 falls far short. It looks nice on paper, but those on the receiving end receive very little. Why did the government refuse to set a minimum standard of care when encouraged by the Canadian Union of Public Employees and the Ontario Health Care Council? Why did the government finally commit to a minimum standard, then renege on its promise?

The province provides $1 million in funding for a cricket club and millions more to other special interests. However, to the seniors who built this country, it gives a pittance. Where is the compassion?

Our seniors deserve better.

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Paul Macdonald, Toronto

The nursing home system isn't just faltering; it's been on its knees for decades, and frail, elderly residents do not have the luxury of waiting for the system to catch up.

When government has whole authority over the regulation, licensing, funding and inspection of an industry through a compliance-model process, as is the case with nursing homes in Ontario, it is unrealistic to expect that resident safety and well-being can ever be ensured, even with the new Long-Term Care Homes Act.

The compliance model does not provide the power of a no-nonsense inspection model with strong enforcement of all regulations. The collaborative approach clearly isn't working, when accounts of abuse and neglect in long-term care facilities are reported on a frequent basis by the media, and families continue to report their concerns to the ministry by the thousands.

An independent authority over long-term care facilities is required, and that responsibility must rest with Ontario's ombudsman.

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Ellen Watson, Aurora

Bill 140 has made positive progress toward improving care for residents in long-term care homes, but more must be done to develop policies and practices to protect all residents from any kind of financial, emotional or physical abuse. Nurses will continue to ask the provincial government to implement a minimum of 3.5 hours of care for each resident every day, and to give facilities the staff and funding to make it a reality.

Everyone – from governments and health-care workers to family members – must work together to make sure nursing home residents get the best possible care every day.

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Doris Grinspun, Executive Director,

Registered Nurses' Association of

Ontario, Toronto

I read with sorrow and anger your story about nursing homes. Yes, there has been improvement in several areas since 2003, when Health Minister George Smitherman instituted his "revolution," but there is still a long way to go.

My mother is in a nursing home and is properly taken care of by staff, in spite of a shortage of funds. When our elderly are given a bath more than twice a week, when money is allotted for more staff or when the food allowance is finally raised, my tears will stop flowing.

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Brenda Caplan, Thornhill

As a registered nurse who has a passion for ensuring excellence in care for seniors, I can say that there has been improvement in the care for seniors in long-term care homes due to the efforts of our present government. There is lots more to be done, and it is important that we as citizens see ongoing improvements, such as the promise to increase the amount of money allocated for meals for seniors.

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Norma Nicholson, Mississauga