Reading the Fine Print: Long Term Care Insurance

Care Needs and Care Funding

Hours of Care

Aged Care A Growth Industry for Investors

Continuing Care Crisis Worsens

December 18, 2007
CBC News reports that despite a Health Canada warning in June 2005 about the dangers of prescribing anti-psychotic drugs to seniors with mild dementia, doctors continue to prescribe these drugs.

December, 2007

Since the release of the Auditor General's scathing report of Seniors Care and Programs in May 2005, Citizen Watch has increased its efforts to monitor the province's continuing care system.

Some of us work as advocates for residents in care settings.
Some of us research the policies, programs, and "initiatives" which underlie planning and management of continuing care.
Some of us track media stories testifying to the experiences of frail Albertans in care, while others of us collect government statistics, industry newsletters, and research reports from professionals in the field.

The information we have gathered over the past 2 years alone clearly shows the system remains woefully inadequate despite the Auditor General's report and despite actions taken by the government to address the system's problems.

To alert the Alberta government to our findings, we made submissions, provided reports, and written letters to describe real problems that need constructive remedial action. In letters of response, we're told the Government is spending a lot of money on this initiative or that project, Alberta is spending more than other provinces on health care, seniors care and benefits and the "Aging in Place" plan is what Albertans want. We're told "providing safe, quality continuing care services to all Albertans who require them is a priority for this government." And, we're told "The Government of Alberta is committed to meeting the needs of our aging population."

But from what we observe and know, it is painfully obvious that residents' health, safety and quality of the life are being seriously compromised by unaddressed failures at the government, regional and facility levels.

To our dismay, the Government seems to have complete and absolute faith in their "plan". And to our disappointment, they have neglected to do any qualitative assessment to determine where, how and why the system is breaking down, and the impact on residents' lives. Instead, the ever-increasing evidence of widespread system failures is discounted as "anecdotal"; the experience of individuals is dismissed.

With the selection of Ed Stelmach as Premier in January 2007, individual members of Citizen Watch sent him two letters, based on his public statements during his leadership campaign and as Premier, that he would both "listen to Albertans" and work to improve the care of the ill elderly. Lynda Jonson's letter addressed particular concerns about the conversion of the Mountain View Care Centre in Hinton to an Assisted Living Facility in 2005. Jonson and Premier Stelmach. The letter from Bev McKay and Carol Wodak asked for an opportunity to meet with him to discuss how the continuing care system might be improved. In both cases, the eventual replies (not from the Premier) simply inferred 'don't worry, we've taken the appropriate action and everything is going to be all right.'

A year later, the residents and families of the Hinton facility have seen further declines in care, and we continue to document the same concerns about the decreasing availability and quality of care throughout the system. The only noticeable change throughout the system is that ever-increasing staff shortages have added a new layer of care deficiencies.

A 2007 newsletter from the Alberta Continuing Care Association of Alberta to the province's MLAs calls for more money "to meet the needs of residents and address the growing burden of regulation and monitoring." Citizen Watch believes more money doesn't automatically ensure better care, better quality of life for residents. For the sake of accountability and transparency, we also believe it's critical for the Auditor General to determine just how and where current funding to the industry is being spent.

Citizen Watch