Editor:
Regarding the announcement of a new facility to replace Shorncliffe and Totem Lodge, what else did VCH forget to mention about the changes to come?
Inter-facility moves for the frail can create enough stress to cause premature death. Even moving a resident from one room to another within the same facility is avoided because of the stress it creates. As VCH residents move to their idyllic new facility, deaths can be expected. The deaths will occur shortly after the move and be attributed to natural and expected causes.
People coming in to long-term care have difficulty adjusting. It can be a lengthy process. How will residents be transitioned? Will VCH continue with intake of residents from hospital and home into existing beds and then move them again?
VCH long-term care employees are paid on par with workers in other areas of health care. The work they do and the function they fulfill are identical. They earn a living wage, but single-income employees and some with families struggle to make ends meet. Benefits, support services and pension plans are invaluable in helping workers meet their basic needs.
Private care workers need the same qualifications and training as workers in public care. They perform the same duties and carry the same responsibilities as their counterparts. However, to maximize profits, the private employer will cut wages and eliminate benefits and pensions. Employees will receive fewer support services.
How will these discrepancies be rationalized? VCH has already set the tone. Long-term care residents have been removed from the auspices of pubic health. In essence, their health care needs have been deemed less important.
Likely, private care employers will gradually redefine their corporate responsibilities and the functional needs of their facility to rationalize lower pay for less-skilled workers.
How might this impact patient care? Long-term care employees experience workplace abuse on a daily basis. Under-trained, under-valued, under-paid and over-stressed staff may be overwhelmed. Without education and support services, employees may find themselves without the skills and tools necessary to maintain a respectful and dignified work environment, putting both clients and employees at higher risk and reducing quality of life for all.
Justin Glover, Sechelt
