Long-term care becoming an option for wider variety of people: administrator
Monday, September 26, 2005 -- Craig Anderson
Long-term care is becoming an option – in some cases life-saving - for those who have completely ‘slipped through society’s cracks,’ says Mary Lynn Lester, administrator at West lake Terrace.

Mary Lynn estimates that of the 46 residents at West Lake, six are currently residing there health or social reasons other than age.

“We are also getting a lot of younger people who seem to have no other place to go. These are people that would have gone in my day to a rehab clinic, convalescent care, or to chronic care beds in a hospital. I think we are losing that intermediary step there in the health care process and whether it’s good or bad – I don’t know if it’s for us to say. We’re in the business of helping people, so we don’t qualify it like that.”

Mary Lynn points out that for some people a number of factors have resulted in the rare situation of their placement in a nursing home. She is also acutely aware that without West Lake or other long term care homes, they’d be living on the streets. This doesn’t change the complexity of the care situation, she adds.

“The younger population is more of a challenge – to meet all of their needs – because in many respects they are more complicated. They have led a much more sophisticated life than many 80 year olds – they are used to technology and a faster pace of life.”

Mary Lynn looks at the changing care needs in social and cultural terms as the precursor to the coming wave of baby boomers into long-term care.

“It’s so good that we are beginning to address this with the Ministry – we need to create some capital funding for some of the older homes like West Lake.”

One of the home’s current residents was living in a hotel in Picton prior to coming to West Lake Terrace. Hotel staff decided she wasn’t fully capable of caring for herself and eventually she moved to West Lake.

“If it weren’t for us she’d be living on the streets in Toronto,” says Mary Lynn.

Homes like West Lake and Rosebridge – in the “boonies,” she says – are often seen by area residents as a place to send family members with substance abuse problems, a subtle form of forced rehab.

“It’s important to be thorough when dealing with Access Centre applications. They themselves might not have full knowledge of the potential resident. [With one resident we had] they were told that there were no problems with him – and he ended up wandering to a local farm. You have to be careful.”

It’s important to be clear with other health care providers and the access centre, says Mary Lynn, about what type of resident the home is capable of caring for.

“We have to think of our vulnerable, elderly population first,” says Mary Lynn. “Mixing two age groups can be alright, but if that younger resident’s behaviour is not controlled then you have someone that’s much physically stronger running around your home.”

West Lake has had residents with brain injuries under 50 years old, residents recovering from substance abuse ages 50-75, and residents with intellectual disabilities or psychiatric disorders in their early 40’s.

Maintaining sufficient social stimulation for younger residents is one of the primary challenges beyond ongoing medical treatment. The small Picton community is rather supportive, says Mary Lynn, with local residents stopping by to take some of the younger residents out for coffee or to Junior B hockey games.

“Prince Edward County is really well-known for that – taking care of their own,” she adds.