For Profit Senior Care

[chuckChuck]

If there is one thing we have learned from Covid it is that our care of seniors in some parts of the country has been terrible. In comparison with Australia there has been much higher death rates in seniors homes in Canada. Australia has strict rules, national standards, and tough enforcement. Canada has a patchwork of rules and lots of for profit care homes with poor care in many cases using underpaid workers who worked in several different facilities.

We shouldn't be making profit on the care of our elderly. Its not a business, its a duty to take care of our seniors without cutting corners and trying to make a profit.

Mike Harris the former Premier of ontario is on the board of Chartwell retirement Residences. As Premier of Ontario, Harris cut health spending and now is making money on the backs of vulnerable seniors. Ford had no idea that Harris was in the business of for profit senior care.

We need to do better.

[chuckChuck]

https://torontosun.com/news/local-news/levy-long-term-care-home-probe-must-truly-be-independent https://torontosun.com/news/local-news/levy-long-term-care-home-probe-must-truly-be-independent

When provincial long-term care minister Merrilee Fullerton announced an independent commission into long-term care homes a week ago, the question on the minds of many advocates and families who’ve lost loved ones has been whether it will truly be free of influence by deep-pocketed vested interests.

Fullerton has contended the long-term care (LTC) system is “broken.”

But as I’ve learned, the system was terribly broken long before the pandemic.

It is unconscionable that more than 1,500 seniors in LTC homes had to die from COVID-19 to make everyone pay attention.

It has become clear to me during this crisis that LTC homes wield incredible power. Officials know full well that people are living longer, that families often turn to homes when they are desperate and can no longer keep their loved ones in the community and that the demand exceeds supply.

We don’t have to look any further than the absolute and bordering on dispassionate refusal by LTC homes to permit essential caregivers into facilities especially given that their loved ones — most of them with high needs — have declined in isolation over the past 10 weeks.

This is despite a May 6 Ministry of Health directive which listed family “caregivers” as essential, presumably to enable them to be permitted into LTC homes.

To date, despite much media attention and many pleas from families, Fullerton has remained silent on this issue — leaving one to wonder whether the tail wags the dog.

The LTC home lobby is tremendously powerful and there is incredible money tied up in for-profit homes. According to the Long-Term Care Association’s own figures, about 58% of their 626 members are for-profit and about 40% either not-for-profit or municipal homes.

The industry has deep pockets.

Former premier Mike Harris is chair of the board of Chartwell Retirement Residences, headquartered in Mississauga. Its stock trades on the TSX. So does Extendicare stock.

One has to look no further than the number of Conservative insiders who’ve already signed up to lobby the province on behalf of the big players to know how important the profit motive really is to the industry.

According to a statement from the NDP caucus earlier this week, Conservative strategist Leslie Noble, campaign manager for Harris in 1995 and 1999, signed up at the end of March to lobby for Chartwell.

Melissa Lantsman, spokesman for Ford in 2018 campaign, signed up to lobby on behalf of Extendicare at the end of April.

Natalie Mehra, executive director of the Ontario Health Coalition, fears there’s been no commitment from the province that no one with a vested interest will be appointed to the commission.

“No one from the industry should be sitting as a commissioner … this needs to be an impartial clear-eyed view of what has happened in long-term care and what needs to change,” she said this week.

She said the homes are now “desperately understaffed” but they still won’t let family caregivers in to help.

“One of the reasons is that it’s easier to keep them out because they don’t have anyone complaining, they don’t have anyone advocating,” she said. “The interests of operators are often different from those of families.”

No kidding.

Paddy Bowen, a spokesman for the newly created Seniors For Social Action (Ontario) with decades of experience in long-term care, agrees that it could become an “insider process” compromised by lobbyists and special interests.

She feels the existence of the dominant full-profit element in long-term care is appalling to her — especially places that “siphon off” money to shareholders that should be going to care.

Bowen claims the for-profit homes — in order to deliver results to shareholders — have not increased their staffing ratios in keeping with the changing (higher) needs of people who come into their homes.

She also notes that inspections of LTC homes have now been reduced to phone calls.

“Can you imagine if hospital accreditation happened by phone?” she said, noting there’s “never” been a social service provider or industry she knows of that is inspected by phone.

“We have an opportunity now … I think COVID has shone this spotlight on this shame,” she said.

“We haven’t had the critical mass before … COVID was what tipped this ineffective immoral system into crisis.”

[furrowtickler]

This I will definitely agree with you on
Keep the option there for those who think they need “elevated” care but your right overall , the amount of money spent is way way too much
Up to $5000 a month .
So if you happen to be in one for an extended time one could use an entire lifetime of wages to pay for 10-15 years in a care home . That’s wrong .

[Hamloc]

Chuck read this article on CBC:”One of Canada’s largest long term care operator’s is owned by a federal Crown Corporation.” Yup more government is going to help seniors!

[farmaholic]

The whole thing is based on morals. Profit isn't a dirty word but exorbitant cost in this case is.
No private person will operate a care home with no expectation of profit. Government can be poor managers with huge cost over runs.

What's fair? The person who scrimped and saved their whole lives should pay their own way while the other person who never saved for the future gets to eat the porridge out of the same pot and a free ride into long term care?

[the big wheel]

Agreed 1000% An emberrassment for our society. It has to be changed. But it’s like most things
If you don’t have someone in that situation you don’t know what’s going on.

[littledoggie]

The Chinese government now controls the biggest retirement home chain in B.C.

https://financialpost.com/real-estate/property-post/the-chinese-government-now-controls-the-biggest-retirement-housing-chain-in-b-c https://financialpost.com/real-estate/property-post/the-chinese-government-now-controls-the-biggest-retirement-housing-chain-in-b-c

[farmaholic]

I was going to bring up foreign ownership, whether by a "naturalized" citizen or not.... didn't think a foreign Gov could own them in Canada. There is potential for abuse in every opportunity, some cultures grey areas are larger than others. I truly believe in some cultures there is an expectation of corruption when it comes to money.... their way.

[sumdumguy]

Newest private care homes charging $5000-$7000 and up per month. Chicken feed-you say?

From experience I can attest to the fact that one of the top chargers is giving deplorable service with residents checking in and out within the first month. Yet many cheaper care homes are providing great care to seniors. It all depends on the administration.

[Sheepwheat]

Just a thought, but any of you where possible, depending on the care needs of course, plan to help out aging parents by providing a suite in your family home? Because of these costs and the often poor care, it is something to look at I think.

If possible. And depending on the care, my family hopes to care for mom when the time comes for her to need to not be on her own anymore.

Friend of mine brought a little atco into his yard, fixed it up into a mini house, and put it in his yard close by for his aging relatives. I thought this was a generous, cool, and very kind idea.

The older I get, the less likely I feel like relying on someone else to care for the person who raised me, you know?

Again, depends on care needed of course.

[blackpowder]

Don't get me wrong but,
Why does every issue only have a solution in total govt ownership and union operation.

[furrowtickler]

Don't get me wrong but,
Why does every issue only have a solution in total govt ownership and union operation.

Agree , health care about the only situation the government should ever have their foot in the door .
And unions have no real value in my mind anymore . If you do your job you keep your job. I you do a better job you should be paid accordingly. Too many union fat cats do nothing but demand more and more. Nothing works efficiently in those situations....... ever . And the abuse of sick time and “stress” leave is astounding in many unions . It’s overcoat from government unions like teachers and nurses is sickening. Absolutely some deserve it but most of it is vastly abused and costs taxpayers an unnecessary fortune

[chuckChuck]

Hell froze over last night! Just kidding. Its rare that anyone agrees with me on Agriville. LOL

Glad to see we are we are mostly in agreement about fixing the problem with senior care in Canada.

How to fix it is a big question. I am not opposed to private ownership,but I have a hard time thinking that there is a lot of profit in providing care for seniors if the best affordable care possible for all seniors is your goal.

To provide any significant amount profit you have to charge a lot, or cut services, or use cheaper labour.

I am not sure if any of those options make sense when the goal should be to provide the best affordable care possible.

Perhaps there is a case for well off seniors to pay more for extras in privately owned long term care homes. But my priority would be making sure everyones care is affordable and of good quality. Most seniors don't have a lot of money because of inflation. The dollars they earned and saved are worth far less into their senior years.

National standards, strict enforcement of standards, paying employees well enough that they can work full time in one facility would be a good start. If privately owned facilities can meet these high standards then that might be okay. But I think the evidence is that many of the privately owned facilities were understaffed and provided lower levels of care and in many cases were awfull.

There is a shortage of beds in many areas. When there is a shortage seniors are forced into taking what is available. Government should be investing in more facilities.

[Hamloc]

[QUOTE=chuckChuck;459070]Hell froze over last night! Just kidding. Its rare that anyone agrees with me on Agriville. LOL

Glad to see we are we are mostly in agreement about fixing the problem with senior care in Canada.

How to fix it is a big question. I am not opposed to private ownership,but I have a hard time thinking that there is a lot of profit in providing care for seniors if the best affordable care possible for all seniors is your goal.

Chuck did you even look at the CBC article on Rivera retirement homes that I suggested. Here is one excerpt:”The company’s board of directors is appointed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his cabinet through orders in council.” Rivera is owned by a federal crown corporation. I certainly agree that the cost to individuals to stay in extended care homes is too high in many cases and the level of care isn’t what it should be but more government certainly isn’t always the solution.

[chuckChuck]

In Australia and perhaps Mallee can comment, but stricter government regulation and enforcement have improved care and the lower number of covid deaths in long term care in Australia reflects their better standards.

There will be no easy fix to improve care. But government will have to be part of the solution. Doug Ford announced a plan yesterday to invest in more beds. According to one expert investing more in home care programs is lower cost and leads to a better quality of life. That doesn't work for seniors who need higher levels of care but building more facilities is only part of the solution.

Privately owned long term care facilities are not keen on stricter government regulations because it will likely mean lower profits. As I said from the beginning profiting from long term care for seniors in my mind is unethical if it leads to lower levels of care. Why would we think extracting profits from seniors in the final years of their lives is acceptable, especially low income seniors.