[flamesfever]

Some of the old age homes I have gone into are downright depressing. All you can smell is urine. If a person was forced to put one of his/her loved ones in one, I would suggest doing a very rigorous appraisal beforehand.

I think there are a number of things that could be done to significantly upgrade the state of nursing homes in Canada:

1. Make sure there is a competent and caring administration, where the clients come first...not sacrificing essentials for the sake of making a profit.

2. Maintain a good quality of food, preferably made on site. For example, not that frozen crap shipped from BC. Eating is high on the list of things seniors look forward to.

3. Higher quality of workers regarding education, work ethic, language skills, demonstrated empathy for seniors, etc., and pay them enough to have a decent living. Many immigrants work at these homes, and while many are saints, some are just not suited for this type of work.

4. Set reasonable limits for number of clients, a worker is expected to attend to in an 8 hour shift. A friend of ours was suddenly expected to look after 20 seniors a night, which was up from her usual 10, when the UCP made their cutbacks. For her it was an impossible task and she decided to quit.

5. Government inspection should be done much more often, and there should be adequate fines for non compliance.

6. Government funding for activity aids, to iimprove quality of life.

7. Have plan in place for pandemics, or infection outbreaks.