Seniors Critic Danielle Chartier raised concerns in the Legislature today about gaps in the delivery of long-term care to our province’s seniors. She was joined by Brenda Cromwell, who is speaking out about the challenges her family has experienced getting their father into a suitable care situation.
“Years of Sask. Party underfunding and underinvestment in infrastructure have created a long-term care crisis of their own making,” said Chartier. “Shunting our elders into publicly funded for-profit care, as this government has said it’s considering, is absolutely not the answer. We need clarity from this government on what they’re doing to address the serious shortage in long-term care beds.”
Brenda Cromwell’s family had to wait eight months to get their father a placement in long-term care, despite a rapid decline in his health. Once he was placed in Luther Special Care Home, they thought all would be well, but they were horrified by the conditions they found in the understaffed Saskatoon facility. Cromwell emphasized that the staff worked incredibly hard to meet the needs of residents, but the staff-to-patient ratio made providing adequate care next to impossible. She’s calling on the government to address the crisis with adequate funding.
“It is imperative the long-term care system provide proper care to the women and men who helped build this province,” said Cromwell. “They are not receiving the care they need and deserve to stay as healthy as they can and live with dignity.”
Cromwell is asking the government to remember the golden rule when it comes to the golden years: “What kind of facility would you like to spend the rest of your life in? What kind of home are you expecting in long-term care when you require it and can no longer speak for yourself? Start working toward improving the needs of all elderly people now and into our future,” she said.
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