Table Mountains

Keep Seniors Out of Nursing Homes

From VOCM News today:

The Association of Registered Nurses is out with a report on ways to get seniors recovering from hospital procedures back into their own beds. They recommend a shift in spending away from long-term care facilities and into rehabilitation and community-based programs and services. Their research has shown that, in many cases, if services were broadened to community-based, many seniors would be able to get back into their own homes instead of occupying a bed in a long-term care facility. To do that, nurses recommend that home care workers be paid more and that family members also be compensated through respite care.

Jim Feltham, President of the Association.
“With news that there are plans to move patients to personal care homes to free up beds, we saw an opportunity to draw attention to a gap that exists in the level of services provided to seniors as they transition from hospital to home,”

“Currently, our system is very institutionally based and once seniors enter the
hospital system they tend to experience a decrease in functional independence which leaves them with limited options on discharge (i.e. they have recovered from their illness but have not been rehabilitated to a point they can return home without supports and must therefore be moved to either a Long Term Care facility or Personal Care Home).“However, our research has shown that, in many cases, if services were broadened to include strong rehabilitation and community based support services, we would see many of these seniors back in their homes enjoying a higher quality of life instead of occupying a bed in a long term care facility.”

Here's research done that would make much needed improvements in the Health Care system of NL and free those needed beds. I wonder why our Health Care Minister ignores any outside suggestions?