By CONSTANCE GIBBS
As a reasonably fit senior it’s easy to not think about something I dread.
What would I do if I lost my ability to live independently? As a hospital volunteer, this question is part of my landscape. All it takes is a fall, an accident, a disease — and freedom can be lost.
My reality also includes a five-year-old granddaughter who pulls me into her magical world of make-believe. I’m making the most of my time with her, playing superheroes and shopkeepers.
Back to my other reality. The Office of the Seniors Advocate just released a report on the state of long-term care in the province. It found that there are not enough beds for an increasing population of seniors who can’t live on their own anymore, often due to loss of mobility, chronic serious disease and/or brain disorders that fall under the umbrella of dementia. Alzheimer’s is the leading type.
At 80, one in five seniors in B.C. will have some type of dementia and the risk keeps climbing with age. Dementia is progressive and incurable. People can live eight to 10 years and longer with Alzheimer’s disease before they die. Years ago I asked my doctor when he thought old age began. He said “80.” The years fly by and 80 no longer seems that far away.
On Salt Spring, we have two facilities that take care of people who can no longer live independently: the Extended Care Unit at Lady Minto Hospital and Greenwoods. The dedicated staff who work in both these aging facilities are under pressure day and night to care for residents.
Lady Minto Hospital’s Extended Care Unit, dating from 1958, has no private bedrooms. There is no designated private space where residents can visit with families and friends or enjoy solitude. Some patients with dementia experience periods of agitation and confusion. According to the Alzheimer’s Society, changing from a noisy, distracting space to a quiet space can calm distress.
The Seniors Advocate reports that only three per cent of public long-term care facilities in B.C. still have dorm-style, multi-bed rooms like our hospital’s Extended Care Unit.
In spite of this, Island Health doesn’t see replacing our substandard ECU for a modern facility, or even a renovation, as a priority. Island Health managers have to operate within budget constraints and economies of scale. In their world, Salt Spring Island, with 11,000 people is small potatoes.
In spite of these obstacles, there are sparks of light in the dark. One is Heartwood House, an inspiring example of the success that can happen with creative thinking and perseverance as shown by the Lady Minto Hospital Foundation. A purpose-built rental property for health care workers is unique in B.C. and possibly Canada. Care aides at Greenwoods and Lady Minto Hospital earn wages that don’t match market-rate housing. Some are finding affordable homes at Heartwood, as are nurses who can better afford the unsubsidized rents. The cheapest units, the studios, are being snapped up.
Other sparks of light are the dedicated staff, the visiting family and friends, and the volunteers who provide compassionate care in these aging facilities.
And then there are the family members, sometimes seniors themselves, who are doing their best to keep loved ones at home and out of institutional care as long as possible. Or they are waiting for a bed to open up. Long-term care operates on a triage basis. It’s not first come, first served, but what situation is most urgent. I can only imagine the stress this puts on everyone, including those working in a crisis-ridden system.
There is a Statement of Residents’ Rights on the Island Health website. The right to live with dignity and the right to receive visitors in private are included. Residents in Lady Minto Extended Care pay 80 per cent of their income to live there, as does everyone in public long-term care, regardless of whether they get a private room or share with three other people.
Shouldn’t Island Health prioritize the three per cent of substandard facilities in the province for new long-term care facilities? Or at least remove bureaucratic hurdles and work with our health care community and Lady Minto Hospital Foundation to find solutions?
Maybe we need more community dialogues about long-term care to find creative solutions. And for sure we need to keep supporting the Lady Minto Hospital Foundation.
In the meantime, if you’re a senior, it’s essential to get serious about advance care planning if you haven’t already. Consider your alternatives should you become too infirm to live independently. Talk to your family even if they’re uncomfortable about discussing the subject. Think about it even if you don’t want to.
Advance care planning information can be found online at www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/family-social-supports/seniors/health-safety/advance-care-planning.