More time to spend with residents would make a difference
Monday, December 18, 2006 -- John Driscoll
Good care relates to the time you can spend with a resident, say Rick Gourlie, administrator at Almonte Country Haven and Sarah Ferguson-McLaren, administrator at Forest Hill in Kanata.

People are in long term care at a time when they have lost a great deal, Gourlie says. “They’ve lost their independence and are often isolated to the point where the television set is their best friend.”

“They can have a gain if a staff member has time to spend time with them, to sit and hold their hands and listen to stories that bring back happy memories. Staff interaction becomes their best friend.”

Increased provincial funding would mean less hurried, enhanced care for residents, Gourlie says. “With more staff, it would give us more opportunity to develop a stronger relationship with a resident.”

Ferguson-McLaren agrees. “Increased funding would lead to improved care,” she says. “It would only serve to better the lives of our residents.”

Staff are very good now at interacting with residents but with increased funding, they would have more time to make a bigger impact, Ferguson-McLaren says.

Staff must now concentrate on getting residents up, getting them dressed, washed and where they need to be, with literally thousands of regulations to be met, Gourlie says. “If you had three residents to care for instead of six, for example, you would have more time to spend with each resident.”

To improve quality of care for a person, you have to look at the whole person’s needs including the social aspect, Ferguson-McLaren says. “I hope the government recognizes that.”

There could be more individualized programs for residents, Gourlie says. “If a resident wanted to get to Wal-Mart before Christmas, we could do that knowing there is adequate staff left at the home.”

What are now considered ‘perks” for residents will be demands in the future, Gourlie predicts. “Sometimes a resident just wants someone to be with them.”