Proponents argue that the suspension of long-term care admissions in Peterborough is part of systemic challenges – Peterborough

Advocacy groups in Ontario say the suspension of admissions at a long-term care home in Peterborough points to systemic challenges across the sector.

As Global News first reported Monday, admissions to residents at St. Joseph’s at Fleming long-term care facility in the city’s West End have been suspended beginning May 2. The head of the Ministry of Long-Term Care’s inspection department said there was a “risk of harm” to the health and well-being of residents or those admitting them.

The ministry’s suspension until further notice came after inspections in February and March. The ministry, in a detailed follow-up report, highlighted several incidents involving improper care and neglect of residents by staff, staffing issues and resident-on-resident abuse.

One specific incident involved an “unexpected” resident. Department inspectors said “a number of ‘failures and omissions’ had an impact on the resident’s life.”

Carol Rodd, CEO of St. Joseph’s at Fleming’s, declined to comment on the report, saying the ministry would respond to inquiries. Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Dave Smith also did not respond to requests for comment.

The suspension has caught the attention of the Ontario Association of Residents’ Councils (OARC), which advocates for the rights of long-term care residents. In addition, the residents’ councils are informed about their roles and responsibilities. Every nursing home in Ontario is required to have a residents’ council and work with them on quality improvement initiatives.

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Ontario suspends admissions at the Peterborough long-term care home

The OARC plans to contact the Residents’ Council at St. Joseph’s in Fleming.

“I can tell you that this is probably a very sad – and most likely – frightening time for the residents of the home,” said Dee Tripp, executive director of the OARC.

Tripp praises the province for inspections that focus on the needs and rights of residents.

“Anything that suggests resident abuse, resident neglect, or residents’ basic rights — whether you’re understaffed or not — residents deserve to be treated with dignity and respect,” she said.

Tripp says many inspections uncover problems in care homes that point to systemic challenges across the sector, particularly underfunding and the need for more personal support workers (PSWs).

“So many households are struggling to have enough PSWs,” she said. “They can’t even find a nurse in their area.”

Another advocacy group, Concerned Friends, analyzes every nursing home inspection report published across Ontario. Board President Kristle Calisto-Tavares says the admissions freeze is not unusual for St. Joseph’s at Fleming.

“From our perspective, noncompliance is somewhat of a norm in the long-term care space,” she said.

Calisto-Tavares said many nursing homes face similar challenges, leaving thousands of seniors still in need of care. She says more proactive, unannounced inspections are needed to improve the system.

In January 2024, Ontario launched a new nursing home investigation unit and invested over $72 million in the ten-person team to address the most serious breaches in nursing homes.

“And in many cases, that actually means more funding for one of the biggest challenges that most homes face in operating – which is a staffing model that is simply not robust enough to meet the needs of the people who live there,” Calisto said. Tavares.

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