Karl Samuelson, administrator of Garden Terrace, goes over the 12 points of the OLTCA campaign with resident Laura Turner. Garden Terrace has a prominent display that stands at the front of the main entrance to the home.

As OLTCA’s campaign winds down, Karl Samuelson says "when all is said and done...I would like to see an end to one reality and the beginning of a new one."

"The reality that I would like to see terminated is the treatment of long-term care as a poor cousin to acute care. What we in long-term care accomplish with a fraction of the resources (of acute care) is absolutely mind-boggling," says Karl.

Karl says the new reality he wants to see occur is simply "fair treatment."

"Fair treatment in funding. Fair treatment in compliance. Fair treatment in managing expectations. We have a double-standard in this province and it is simply wrong," Karl says.

Garden Terrace has generated awareness about the OLTCA campaign by hosting meetings with residents, family and staff. On OLTCA’s news site, an online poll found on the front page asks participants to choose their top five priorities for the long-term care sector, in order of preference. OLTCA has also provided homes with background information, which Karl says has proven useful in helping clarify some of the issues.

"The key is to educate people about the various issues without swaying them in one direction or another," he notes.

Karl says he believes the themes that will resonate most strongly at Garden Terrace — as well as for most other homes – will centre on staffing and funding. "Those are the issues at the very nucleus," of what the campaign is about, he says.

He notes staff members are taking ballots home, as are family members. "One of our residents took a rather scientific approach and developed a matrix in which he challenged his own objectivity by comparing each of the 12 points against each other. So, rather than simply scanning the 12 points and picking five, he very carefully devised a chart in which he personally plotted each point against the other in order to come up with his five dominant points," says Karl.

He adds he doesn’t know what the results were. "Frankly, it's none of my business. But it certainly indicates the effort that people are going through to send their message to Queen's Park. This is very serious business and I hope that the new government accords long-term care the attention it deserves."