Seniors denied basic care60% of nursing homes violate standards, including leaving residents in soiled diapers for hours |
Seniors left for hours in soiled diapers; others not even bathed twice a week and still more unnecessarily restrained by their caregivers.
These were just a few of the shocking examples of care uncovered by The Canadian Press in an investigation that found the majority of Ontario's nursing homes have failed to meet even basic standards set out by the province to preserve the rights of elderly residents.
Just over 60% of homes across Ontario -- and up to 91% in some Toronto suburban communities -- have been cited for violating some of the standards that ensure residents are well-fed, clean and free of pain, as well as dictating how homes care for incontinent residents and when they use restraints.
Almost three-quarters of Ontario's 616 nursing homes that have their inspection results posted online violated some of the 400 general standards set out by the province -- a proportion which hasn't changed significantly since 2004 when then-health minister George Smitherman promised a "revolution" in the province's long-term care.
"We're talking about the majority of people not getting the minimum standard of care," said Pat Armstrong, York University professor and one of 12 national chairmen in health services and nursing research. "In a sense, we've abandoned them."
Many workers are embarrassed about the level of care they're able to provide because they know it's sub-standard, she added.
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