"Tough to Swallow" ~ Alberta Seniors

[Rerun]

My widowed mother lives at an assisted living facility in High River. I believe she pays about $1600 per month for a small 1 bedroom,living room, kitchenette appt (probably about 600 sf). Its very nice. Its government subsidized. Included in her rent is 1 meal per day at the main dining room (lunch... thats the main meal each day in senior's residences), she makes her own breakfast (usually cereal) and her supper (usually soup or a sandwich or both). Her rent also includes light housekeeping and bed linen and towel changes.

She likes it there. She usually likes the meals too. They are cooked at the facility.
She has friends there and there is frequent entertainment provided. There are also weekly sightseeing day trips.

Originally she was living with my wife and I, after moving out here from Ontario. But she found it too lonely and boring. My wife and I work and we are gone from 7:00 am to 6:30 pm five days a week.

She looked into this place in High River and liked what she saw.... and moved in.

[Rerun]

Originally Posted by Locke

Are you serious? They are a burden on society. So are kids. So are the sick and disabled. Again, thats a fact of life. However these are burdens that society willingly takes on in order to gain from their benefits which is to keep our parents around and happy among other things.

And they arent really contributing members of society anymore. Thats the point, they've made their contributions, the sad part is that this is supposed to be their reward for their contributions.

Ignoring the fact that they're a burden doesnt accomplish anything, just accept it and move along. Whats more important to focus on is how to make their retired experience more rewarding and focus on the fact that they shouldnt be taken advantage of.

I guess I should have made my post in green. I thought it was obvious that I was being sarcastic.

Also, when I talked about the elderly being contributing members of society... I meant through their wisdom and life experiences. Anytime you can contribute, you're not a burden. And even if you can't, your past contributions should count for something. Unfortunately society has become "what can you do for me today... yesterday's contribution is old news and doesn't count anymore."

[pylon]

Originally Posted by GGG

It sounds like the food quality is very similar to University Residence food. If it is then it is adequate.

I think that giving homes the options to develop there own higher quality food alternatives would be helpful as good employees should be able to do better than the generic provincial plan.

I am a big supporter of the government providing a minimum levelmof service to ensure human dignity. If you want more than that you are responsible for it yourself.

How is someone with Alzheimer's or dementia supposed to be responsible for themselves. Get a part time job at the local 7-11? A lot of these people gave everything to their kids, so they could have a good life, and then are subsequently dumped in these homes once they are broke, and a burden. It is not as cut and dry as you make it.

[Mean Mr. Mustard]

Originally Posted by Dion

Susan Slade, a licensed practical nurse and AUPE member, contradicts Health Minister Fred Horne’s assertion that the food is nutritionally sound.

“You’re boiling stuff and taking the vitamins and minerals out of it. You’re pre-packaging roast beef for 70 days. How can there be any nutrition left in that?” she asks.

Slade says staff have seen an increase in residents with urinary tract infections and slow wound healing since the meals were introduced as part of a 21-day rotating menu plan in December 2009.

http://www.calgaryherald.com/health/...#ixzz1xQFLUFUX

But that is anecdotal evidence - I have never heard of UTIs being associated with food - especially when there are a million different things that can cause UTIs in the elderly especially - and then there is the issue as to whether a UTI is actually an infection or whether it is asymptomatic bacturia and people associate any behavioural change with a UTI and not with the person has a dementia.

I would actually be interested to see if there was an actual study which was performed or whether this is just the opinion of a LPN being masked as fact.

Also AHS has said that the cost of food has gone up in the past 2 years that this program has been instituted - which is about the rate of inflation for food - I would be interested to see the cost of kitchen staffing and if that has decreased in the process.

Lastly I thought that frozen foods, especially vegitables had the same amounts of nutrients relative to fresh fruits and vegitables, I have never heard an actual dietitian say that the fresher the food the more nutrients it has. The way it is cooked yes, but I have never heard that a carrot from the garden has any more nutrients than the frozen carrot... actually using google it seems like it is the opposite way around where freezing the produce after harvesting prevents the loss of nutrients.

[Rerun]

Originally Posted by GGG

It sounds like the food quality is very similar to University Residence food. If it is then it is adequate.

I think that giving homes the options to develop there own higher quality food alternatives would be helpful as good employees should be able to do better than the generic provincial plan.

I am a big supporter of the government providing a minimum levelmof service to ensure human dignity. If you want more than that you are responsible for it yourself.

If university residence food was like this, students would be protesting in the streets. Besides, university residence students also have other options (pizza, bar food, take out) that seniors generally either can't afford or can't eat. Guaranteed too is that a university student's life is a hell of a lot more enjoyable than most seniors. The least we can do for the elderly in these homes is make meal time an enjoyable part of the day! They deserve more than just the minimum that you or someone else feels they are obligated to provide.
I hope when you're old you get shoved into a place like this.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by burn_this_city

Completely agree. People are so quick to toss Grandma or Grandpa in a home once they become an inconvenience. It's much easier to visit one a week to keep the guilt from becoming unbearable. I really respect other cultures for the fact they care for their elderly at home no matter how difficult it becomes.

Many of them don't bother to visit them at all. They sit in thier wheel chairs or are herded around tables with sad looks on thier faces. It's as if they have one foot in the grave and are waiting to die. Staff don't have time to visit with them so they sit there and wait for thier next meal. There are recreation therapists and volunteers that try to entertain them but even that isn't very much. I hope to God i'm dead and buried before it's time to put me in one of these homes.

[Mean Mr. Mustard]

Originally Posted by Dion

Many of them don't bother to visit them at all. They sit in thier wheel chairs or are herded around tables with sad looks on thier faces. It's as if they have one foot in the grave and are waiting to die. Staff don't have time to visit with them so they sit there and wait for thier next meal. There are recreation therapists and volunteers that try to entertain them but even that isn't very much. I hope to God i'm dead and buried before it's time to put me in one of these homes.

Are you sure you didn't visit a Stalin era Gulag?

Sorry but they are not that bad. You may have seen a bad one, but there are a lot of them that are decent quality and that have a lot of programs in the day actually.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by Mean Mr. Mustard

Are you sure you didn't visit a Stalin era Gulag?

My views are based on my 7 years of volunteering in care facilities for seniors. I know it might be hard for you to handle.

[pylon]

Originally Posted by Mean Mr. Mustard

Are you sure you didn't visit a Stalin era Gulag?

You would be surprised at how miserable these places are. At least the government run ones.

My great Aunt lives in the Renoir, which is better than how most of us live, however, I believe the tab is around $3000/mth. The few times I have been in government run homes, honestly, I bet minimum security prison is nicer. I would rather just die, than live out my last years like that, or force my family to see me living in one of those dumps.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by Mean Mr. Mustard

Sorry but they are not that bad. You may have seen a bad one, but there are a lot of them that are decent quality and that have a lot of programs in the day actually.

I take it you haven't volunteered in any of these facilities. Just because programs are up to govt standards doesn't mean its decent.

One of the seniors I used to visit with was blind and in her 90's and was in a facility that didn't cater to her needs. It was up to me that she got to bingo that was run twice a week or a paper read to her. I wheeled outside for fresh air when I could.

[Rerun]

Originally Posted by Dion

Many of them don't bother to visit them at all. They sit in thier wheel chairs or are herded around tables with sad looks on thier faces. It's as if they have one foot in the grave and are waiting to die. Staff don't have time to visit with them so they sit there and wait for thier next meal. There are recreation therapists and volunteers that try to entertain them but even that isn't very much. I hope to God i'm dead and buried before it's time to put me in one of these homes.

This is certainly true with some of the residents. I've seen this for a fact and its what my mother has told me too.
Its not the fault of the homes... its the fault of the resident's families.. if they have one nearby that is.
Many residents get very few visitors and they are infirmed (mentally or physically) so mobility is a problem for them. They rarely get out and rarely does anyone come by to see them. Death for them is probably a welcome visitor.

[Mean Mr. Mustard]

Originally Posted by Dion

I take it you haven't volunteered in any of these facilities. Just because programs are up to govt standards doesn't mean its decent.

I take it that I have worked, volunteered and have clinical experiences in similar facilities before. I agree that some of the places are miserable but most aren't that bad from my experiences.

Also what you are describing has nothing to do with food - funding in general is lacking for LTC.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by Mean Mr. Mustard

I take it that I have worked, volunteered and have clinical experiences in similar facilities before. I agree that some of the places are miserable but most aren't that bad from my experiences.

Also what you are describing has nothing to do with food - funding in general is lacking for LTC.

You're right, funding is a problem. Recreation therapists can only do so much and have to rely on volunteers to get seniors to these activities they run. They don't have the time to pickup and return every senior to thier residence. It's my experience that the govt relies on volunteers/free labour to help with the short fall in funding. I think it's wrong but that's my opinion.

[LIP MAN]

Originally Posted by Locke

Are you serious? They are a burden on society. So are kids. So are the sick and disabled. Again, thats a fact of life. However these are burdens that society willingly takes on in order to gain from their benefits which is to keep our parents around and happy among other things.

And they arent really contributing members of society anymore. Thats the point, they've made their contributions, the sad part is that this is supposed to be their reward for their contributions.

Ignoring the fact that they're a burden doesnt accomplish anything, just accept it and move along. Whats more important to focus on is how to make their retired experience more rewarding and focus on the fact that they shouldnt be taken advantage of.

I've had enough of reading these "burdens" on society. Read up and maybe attend a course. Treating people as burdens only serves to dehumanize them. Here's a bit of info: http://www.socialrolevalorization.com/

[Mean Mr. Mustard]

Originally Posted by Dion

You're right, funding is a problem. Recreation therapists can only do so much and have to rely on volunteers to get seniors to these activities they run. They don't have the time to pickup and return every senior to thier residence. It's my experience that the govt relies on volunteers/free labour to help with the short fall in funding. I think it's wrong but that's my opinion.

That being said where does one cut costs in order to have an increase in services? I think it is very simple to say that there should be more funding - but where does that funding come from because we are not talking about small amounts of money. Personally I don't know if a desirable option exists in a number of cases.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by Mean Mr. Mustard

That being said where does one cut costs in order to have an increase in services? I think it is very simple to say that there should be more funding - but where does that funding come from because we are not talking about small amounts of money. Personally I don't know if a desirable option exists in a number of cases.

I would like to see our Premier and all MLA's volunteer some time in LTC facilities and eat the food we give these seniors and see what it's like first hand to live in these facilities. Talk to the staff and hear thier concerns. I'm not saying it's horrible but it would give them a harsh reality of what things are really like. Frankly I don't think they have a clue.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by Mean Mr. Mustard

I take it that I have worked, volunteered and have clinical experiences in similar facilities before. I agree that some of the places are miserable but most aren't that bad from my experiences.

Also what you are describing has nothing to do with food - funding in general is lacking for LTC.

Can you explain why seniors are given sleeping pills before bedtime? I find it hard to believe that seniors in these facilities are put to bed around 7-8 at night only to have them sleep the whole night through to 7-8 in the morn. Maybe i'm wrong, but my understanding is you sleep less as you get older.

[First Lady]

Originally Posted by longsuffering

There is nothing that Wildrose refuses to politicise is there?

You're kidding right?

These are government facilities, funded by our tax dollars. They (the gov) introduced this new delivery of food to save money and in theory keep the quality the same. What they managed to do is lose the quality and it still ended up costing 6% more. These are homes in rural Alberta, where fresh vegetables are grown literally within eye sight; yet they are being fed potatoes grown in Idaho, processed in another US state, frozen and then shipped to Canada. It's wrong on several levels.

The AUPE, who exposed this, is hardly "friends" with right leaning parties. I won't be one bit surprised to see the Libs and NDP join the Wildrose chorus and hold the Gov accountable. That's what opposition parties do.

You see it as politicizing, I see it as groups proactively speaking out for those who can't help themselves.

Perhaps (for you) it's more a case of; there isn't anything the Wildrose could do that you would ever support.

[Sliver]

Another problem is people just live too long now. We really need to legalize euthanasia. I think a lot of these people would be very happy to die with dignity versus sitting around a depressing home for two decades. Many people outlive their ability to be useful economically and socially, and they also lose that spark that lets them enjoy life. I think it's cruel to not give them the option of choosing when to take their final bow.

[Rerun]

Originally Posted by RougeUnderoos

The treatment of vulnerable people in government-operated facilities is out of bounds?

Yes, of course.... if its the Wildrose party talking about it. Everybody knows that the Wildrose party has a hidden agenda.

Now if it was the Liberals or the NDP that brought this to the attention of the media/people.... then its ok.