N.B. drags feet on nursing homes: advocate

With 750 seniors awaiting nursing home beds, Social Development minister says seniors remain a priority 

by jacques gallant

Even over the phone, it is evident that Cecile Cassista is very passionate about seniors. You can hear the conviction in her voice as she asks the questions that she said the government has yet to really answer.
Why don't we already have more nursing homes? What is being done to encourage seniors living at home as long as possible? Why are you dragging your feet?
Cassista, the executive director of the Coalition for Seniors and Nursing Home Residents' Rights, is not the only one interrogating the Progressive Conservatives on these issues, which continue to attract attention as the provincial government moves forward with its review of construction costs for nursing homes announced last year under the Liberals.
"I rate the government's work for seniors as very low on the scale, I haven't seen any attempt on their part to move forward for seniors and they're dragging their feet on nursing homes," said Cassista.
With approximately 750 seniors awaiting nursing home beds in New Brunswick, and with close to 480 of them languishing in hospital beds, Cassista paints a striking picture of seniors' welfare in the province, one where over 55,000 seniors live on about $1,200 a month, making the already vulnerable elderly population become even more so.
She speaks of seniors being evicted from nursing and special care homes, of institutions cherry-picking residents with the less need for medical attention, and of seniors not receiving the support they require to remain in their own homes.
"Seniors who are forced to remain in hospital beds are called bed-blockers, they don't like the term, nobody does, we should have more respect for our seniors," said Cassista.
The Tories' nursing home review began in January, one of the government's many attempts at curbing the provincial deficit.
Last week, Minister of Social Development and Minister responsible for seniors Sue Stultz announced that the government had saved $5.7 million after reviewing the construction costs on three nursing homes in Edmundston, Chaleur, and Stanley. The review put the completion of those homes behind schedule, and seven other nursing homes are still awaiting review
While Cassista said she has yet to hear anything concrete from the government on the fate of seniors, Stultz said she has already clearly articulated her position on the nursing home review.
"There is a clear answer from the government and from myself," she said. "The government has been left in a financial situation beyond all belief and we need to look at every avenue to find efficiencies. We are still going ahead with our nursing home plan, but we need to be financially responsible. Seniors are a priority for us. But we need nursing homes that are cost efficient while being safe and secure for our seniors."
The previous Liberal government had put in place a 10-year plan that would have guaranteed 700 new nursing home beds for New Brunswick seniors. Since May 1, the daily fee in nursing homes has been $95, with the Department of Social Development subsidizing the cost for many seniors who can't afford it.
In the province's 430 special care homes, where residents require less medical attention than in nursing homes, the price for a bed sits around $120. There are about 5,100 people, mostly seniors, currently residing in these homes, which are privately-owned but regulated by Social Development.
As Robert LeBlanc, president of the New Brunswick Senior Citizens' Federation points out, the current government could have already found efficiencies had it stuck to the Liberals' plan because keeping seniors in hospital beds is proving to be much more costly.
"I've been told it can cost up to $1,200 a day to keep seniors in hospital beds.
There are over 400 seniors currently in hospital beds, so you do the math," he said. "To me, it would be much cheaper to build quite a few new nursing homes and make special care homes more available. Why would they want to do a review when there are 700 people waiting for beds? Let's do something about it now."
Despite certain horror stories that happened this year, including residents at a home on Grand Manan being moved to the mainland due to a mould issue, Stultz maintains that the review is necessary.
"We're doing it as quickly as we possibly can, and we are looking into using special care homes," she said. "We have been working closely with the Nursing Home Association to study long-term care."
Nursing homes aside, primary stakeholders say there are still a plethora of other concerns that have yet to be properly addressed.
Both LeBlanc and Cassista want the government to establish a bill of rights for seniors, similarly to what has been done in other provinces.
"We want it to clearly state, for example, that seniors have a right to a comfort and clothing allowance that is expressly meant for them, because we have seen it happen where that allowance is used instead to defray home care costs," said LeBlanc, who indicated that his federation has met several times with the Department of Social Development and has sent a draft of a bill of rights to government. They are still waiting for a response.
"This is not a simple charter," responded Stultz. "We need to have all stakeholders in mind and continue the discussion, while we continue to also study similar charters across Canada. Hopefully we can have something ready before too long."
But it has become obvious that seniors and those who support their causes are getting frustrated with waiting.
Bernard LeBlanc, the opposition critic for Social Development, has described the current lack of nursing home beds as a "critical situation" and is worried that the government is taking too much time trying to address an issue that is only going to get more pressing as the years go by. The number of people 65 and up in New Brunswick, currently 119,000, is predicted to reach 235,000 by 2036.
"The government has been in power for nine months, they have to do something," said LeBlanc. "The needs are even higher in the larger cities. In Moncton, 133 people are waiting for nursing home beds, while 145 are waiting in Saint John. The government is saying they want to find efficiencies, but there are savings in placing seniors in nursing homes rather than in hospitals."
One sticking point that everyone seems to agree on is more funding and assistance are needed for seniors who want to live in their own homes for as long as possible.
"Most people don't realize that seniors can stay home longer, these are familiar places to them, it is much better for them if they can remain in the home," said Stultz. "We feel we need that home support system."
Stultz said her government continues to maintain discussions with stakeholders to provide a home care system that will work in New Brunswick. But Cassista said she doesn't see results coming anytime soon.
"We need to have more support workers in these houses," she said. "We need to have these workers paid directly by the government and available 24-7. This would be the ideal system."
While the nursing home file continues to move, albeit slowly, both Cassista and LeBlanc at the Senior Citizens' Federation feel, despite Stultz's assurances, that the home care system folder is not moving at all, and that this will undoubtedly be the next battleground for stakeholders once the nursing home situation is resolved, if ever. They indicate that roundtable discussions with the government must continue.
In the meantime, Cassista said she will continue to speak on behalf of those she said are far too afraid to come forward because of potential negative repercussions.
"At the end of the day, this shouldn't all be about money," she concluded. "Seriously, other people should not be making money off the backs of seniors."