Editor:
At Vancouver Coast Health’s (VCH) meeting at the seniors hall last September, I made some notes. Reviewing those, the various VCH publications and the recent FOI information in Coast Reporter, I think VCH made misleading or misinformed statements in 2016.
VCH Residential Care Expansion, “Quality of Life,” states the direct care hours will be increased under the new agreements. The Oct. 31, 2016 FAQ states the hours of direct care per day will remain the same (2.8 in the FOI response).
VCH repeats that in Silverstone, all rooms will be private, with ensuite washrooms, incorrectly implying that both current Sechelt facilities have shared rooms. All Shorncliffe rooms are private and the care level was said to be 3.25. Most Totem residents are confined to wheelchairs and rooms are shared, but residents then have stimulus from other residents, staff and visitors.
Silverstone will have more rooms, all private. How will the 2.8 level of direct staff care be able to bring even more wheelchair residents from their rooms and out to common areas while still maintaining the current level of quality care? Most people have said that more care hours are needed now due to the increasing needs of the existing residents in care.
VCH states that they will continue to purchase beds from Trellis, but Trellis will own the property and they can sell it. How can VCH guarantee the “sustainability” and costs of those beds if the company is sold?
I now have even greater difficulty believing VCH statements.
Lynne Forrest, Tillicum Bay
