Long-term care advocacy group wants more staff, training

An advocacy group for residents of long-term care homes wants Ontario to legislate minimum staffing standards.

It says issues in Thunder Bay nursing homes brought to light this week by CBC News reflect problems across the province.

The interim president ofConcerned Friends of Ontario Citizens in Care Facilities said the provincialgovernment once required nursing homes to provide a minimum number of personal care hours per resident.

But now, there's no legislated standard, Lois Dent said. Next week, Concerned Friends will publicly ask the province to change that.

Dent said minimum standards should go beyondincreasing the number of personal support workers and nursing staff in long-term care facilities.

"The front-line staff has to be better trained in order to deal appropriately ... with ... some of the difficult and complex residents that long-term care homes now have to work with, she said.

Dent said that includes learning howto carefor people with dementia and mental health issues.

"The Ministry of Health has to put more money into their long-term care homes ... to staff ... the wards with front-line staff that is trained to deal with people that have difficult behaviours, sheadded.

'Giving people skills and abilities'

The president and CEOof St. Joseph's Care Group said she hopes the education and research component of its new seniors facility, currently under construction, will help achieve that in Thunder Bay.

"It's giving people skills and abilities ... and training to be able to do what they truly want to do to provide the best care for the residents that we serve, Tracy Buckler said.

However,Buckler acknowledged that funding remains a majorchallenge in providinglong-term care.

She said St. Joseph's Care Group continues to advocate for more funding, not only to care for existing residents, but to address the extensive waiting listof people waiting for long-term care beds in Thunder Bay.