(November 1, 2016)<\/p>\n
By: Heather Rivers, Woodstock Sentinel-Review<\/p>\n
WOODSTOCK – It\u2019s not the staff\u2019s fault, it\u2019s the system.<\/p>\n
As news sinks in that Woodstock resident Elizabeth Wettlaufer has been charged with eight counts of first-degree murder in a long-term care facility \u2013 seven of which occurred in Woodstock and one in London \u2013 locals are left trying to figure out under what circumstances a tragedy like this could happen.<\/p>\n
Many experts and long-term care workers are hoping the Woodstock tragedy will be a starting point to cast a spotlight on a flawed system they say needs to be revisioned and reformed<\/p>\n
\u201cThey just can\u2019t do enough for these people. There is not enough staff to do the job that needs to be done,\u201d said an Oxford County personal support worker (PSW) whose mother suffers from dementia and resides in a long-term care facility. \u201cThey are treated like a bunch of cattle. They even tell us how much briefs (diapers) to use for each patient. It\u2019s disgusting.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the PSW, who has worked in the industry for decades, said she would love to use her name, a fear of being fired prevents her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe do not have enough staff, that\u2019s why things fall through the cracks \u2013 like the (alleged) murders in Woodstock,\u201d she said. \u201cAs long as the ministry is dotting their I\u2019s and crossing their T\u2019s, they are shutting a blind eye to the reality of it.<\/p>\n
\u201cTheir reality is a paper reality.\u201d<\/p>\n
Horror stories, she said, do happen.<\/p>\n
Even though her mother could walk, she had to be make the heart-wrenching decision to confine her to a wheelchair to prevent her from suffering frequent falls. Physiotherapy that would have helped her continue to walk promised by the facility just never appeared, and the result was tragic.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mother has never walked again,\u201d she said. \u201cIt makes me sick to my stomach.\u201d<\/p>\n
Besides dealing with a lack of staff, PSWs also have to deal with another challenge.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe PSWs work so hard and often they get hit (by residents),\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Workplace violence is rampant and workers are prohbid from talking about it, another former PSW said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe violence is mind blowing,\u201d said Betty, a former frontline worker in a long-term care facility in Oxford County, who spoke to the Sentinel-Review weeks before eight first-degree murder charges were laid against Wettlaufer. \u201cYou have the expectation that, if you go into work, you are going to get hurt. Staff aren\u2019t allowed to talk about when they get punched or spit on.\u201d<\/p>\n
Betty, whose name has been changed because she fears retribution from her former employer, is sharing her story because she believes change needs to happen in long-term care facilities due to atrocities occurring to both residents and staff.<\/p>\n
Betty once worked with Wettlaufer in a long-term care facility in Oxford County that is not Caressant Care. Betty said the lack of care, due to funding pressures, can aggravate the situation.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re escalating their behaviours because we\u2019re not giving them the care they need,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s not humanly possible to get all of the tasks done in the time allotted. The change you see in them is unbelievable when you have the time for them.\u201d<\/p>\n
The demand for long-term beds will soon increase exponentially due to an aging population.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re facing an epidemic,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
With non-union long-term care facilities paying not much more than minimum wage, increasing workloads, little stability and high compassionate burnout levels are commonplace.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a very hopeless career option,\u201d she said. \u201cThere are not near enough PSWs coming out of programs for the demand we are going to see.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to the Canadian Association of Retired Persons (CARP), five per cent of Canadians will require the services of a long-term care facility.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe generation of Canadians looking at our current system for their parents or for themselves in the future are resoundingly telling the government that the system is broken and needs fixing now,\u201d said Wanda Morris, president of CARP. \u201cThe Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care has been hearing about the system\u2019s failings for years.\u201d<\/p>\n
Frail and vulnerable, most long-term care residents cannot speak out for themselves.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrail seniors are experiencing a quiet form of discrimination within the health-care system,\u201d Morris said. \u201cThe answer lies in advocacy and funding.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to Natalie Mehra, executive director of the Ontario Health Coalition, the long-term care system in Ontario is unable to provide adequate care and oversight to prevent potential horror stories from happening,<\/p>\n
Mehra said long-term care facilities in Ontario are so underfunded it is impossible to provide \u201cnecessary care and oversights\u201d to residents.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverywhere I go in Ontario, they will tell you they are short staffed. Even with full staffing, there isn\u2019t enough care,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The Ontario Health Coalition was so concerned about the system it hosted a conference over the weekend of Oct. 28 and Oct. 29 on Reforming Long-Term Care in the Public Interest, featuring several senior advocates and experts on revisioning long-term care.<\/p>\n