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Alberta being short-sighted not opening more long-term care beds
Re: "Listen to Duckett," Editorial, Jan. 5.
Your editorial suggests Alberta should provide more full long-term care facilities rather than assisted living facilities.
The United Nurses of Alberta applauds the Herald for drawing attention to the distinction between long-term care and assisted living, often referred to as supportive living. Long-term care refers to facility-based care in a nursing home or an auxiliary hospital that provides on-site nursing care, by registered nurses and licensed practical nurses. Only at the highest level of supportive living in the province are regulated professional staff (LPNs) required to be on site on a 24-hour basis. Supportive Living 3, the second highest level, requires only that "qualified or trained" aides, not regulated professional staff, be on site.
Unfortunately, this distinction is rarely made in public debate. Government news releases commonly group long-term care and supportive living under "continuing care." Throughout 2010, the province repeatedly announced the opening of continuing care spaces for seniors. In recent months, the frequency of these announcements have escalated in response to concerns about the negative impact on ER wait times of patients in acute care facilities awaiting placement in less acute facilities.
These new announced beds are almost entirely supportive living and few, if any, full long-term care beds are being opened.
The danger is that Albertans are lulled into a false sense of security, believing more supportive living facilities are taking care of the problem. Unfortunately, the patients waiting in our hospitals for long-term care beds most often cannot be accommodated in supportive living, because they require significant daily nursing care.
Too often, we have heard of patients sent from hospital or their home to supportive living only to arrive back at Emergency in an ambulance.
The Herald is absolutely correct that we need more full care, long-term care beds to reduce ER waits and help address the serious shortage of beds in our hospitals.
Until this is dealt with, the health-care challenges that made headlines last fall won't be addressed and we will continue to do a great disservice to the frail and elderly.
– David Harrigan, Edmonton
David Harrigan is director of labour relations for the United Nurses of Alberta.
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