Editor:
I must take issue with some of the points raised by Keith Maxwell in his letter in the Jan. 27 issue of Coast Reporter, “Labour must adapt”.
According to Maxwell, the proposed Trellis facility will not be a hospital but merely residential housing for seniors, which must be provided in the most cost-effective way possible. Clearly Mr. Maxwell has never visited one of our sub-acute care facilities – which is indeed what they are! To dismiss the needs of our frail, elderly, often helpless residents as merely a need for housing is ridiculously oversimplified, and rather cold. He could have used the word “warehousing.” The provision of care for our seniors is much more than a service, and cannot be dismissed as something of no more importance than fixing one’s car!
Mr. Maxwell also oversimplifies the process by which the care of our seniors is delivered – fair wages driven by market rates, cost-effectiveness capably delivered by the private sector, labour markets must adapt. In fact, sub-acute care is provided by educated, well-trained professionals, and there are standards in place to assure that these individuals have the necessary training and experience to do the job. Not just anybody can be a caregiver! Trellis facilities, and indeed Totem Lodge and Shorncliffe, could not operate without the employees who do the work of caring for the residents housed there. And very possibly there will come a time for our nurses and care aides when it is no longer financially feasible to work in a long-term care facility. If we’re all forced by the competitive market and the private sector to work for minimum wages, we might as well all work at Tim Hortons. The hours are shorter and there’s much less stress!
Marilynn Green, Gibsons
