Dear Editor:
Re: Your editorial, "Seniors Deserve Better", July 3, 2008
Yes, seniors do deserve better.
There is a significant downside to the recent media flurry regarding nursing homes in Ontario. Careful analysis of the provincial data does not support blanket generalizations such as "Seniors denied basic care".
No system is perfect. Flaws must be found and corrected. But...
My wife, 68, is a resident of Leisureworld Streetsville. She suffers from dementia. The care she receives is excellent. The staff are superb. They know how to deal with those who suffer from dementia.
The effect of the media panic on those who deliver care is very demoralizing. Talented people direct facilities and they wonder whether their efforts are worth it. Staff work hard at their jobs. Many are recent immigrants or visible minorities. They are stigmatized by insinuations about their work based on irresponsible interpretations of the facts.
Families of residents are stigmatized, too. "You put your mother in a nursing home?"
The number of problems found by provincial inspectors is overwhelmingly small (one or two out of 400 possibilities) at the individual home level, if any are found at all. Of course, flaws must be detected and corrected. And they are.
The reports and editorials in the media victimize the very persons that long-term care is intended to help. Demoralized staff and guilt-ridden families affect the quality of care that is given to those who need it.