Seniors' advocate, NAPE say they aren't surprised by findings in AG report on personal care homes

Newfoundland and Labrador's seniors' advocate says she isn't surprised by the findings in the auditor general's latest report, which highlights concerns of resident deaths, sexual abuse by staff, missing residents and verbal abuse inside some of the province's personal care homes.

Auditor General Denise Hanrahan told reporters on Tuesday she has serious concerns about the management, oversight and delivery of the provincial personal care home program.

But seniors' advocate Susan Walsh told CBC Radio's On The Go that families have been pointing out those incidents for years.

"In 2022, when I started this job, I was only in three months and the stories I was hearing from families were horrendous," she said.

Hanrahan's news conference came just under two months after the provincial government released a report on long-term and personal care homes, describing the need for a wide range of improvements.

"All these reports are adding up, but it appears no one has the authority or capacity to make the Department of Health and Community Services, the regional health authority, and our health services actually make the change," said Walsh.

Walsh says Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services needs to hold the health department to a higher standard of accountability.

"No one's overseeing the shop," Walsh said. "The standards are almost 20 years old."

The role of seniors' advocate in Newfoundland and Labrador does not include the ability to investigate individual issues or complaints, says Walsh. She can only focus on systemic issues. But, Walsh says, advocates do have wider investigative powers in other provinces, such as New Brunswick, which completed an investigation into long-term care last year.

If the seniors' advocate in Newfoundland and Labrador did have that power, Walsh says there would be more oversight into personal and long-term care homes in the province. She would also be able to advocate for individuals who are facing dangerous situations.

In light of the auditor general's report, Walsh said she would like to see legislation supporting a continuum of care.

"It covers personal care in your home, it covers personal care homes, it covers assisted living, it covers long-term care, palliative care, it's that whole continuum," Walsh said.

"And we are one of the very few provinces in the country that don't have legislation to protect people who are living in these facilities."

Walsh is recommending that an independent body should hold the provincial government accountable so that eventually legislation can be passed to support seniors. 

CBC News has requested comment from acting Health Minister John Haggie.

For-profit problems

NAPE president Jerry Earle says he also wasn't surprised by what he read in the report. He said he's heard from NAPE members who work in personal care homes and from families.

One issue he found particularly alarming was the number of medication errors, as well as problems with the quality of food and the lack of training for staff.

"Then we've seen the funding, which is a real revelation here, that's been poured into if this is all public funds," Earle told CBC Radio's Newfoundland Morning on Wednesday.

According to the report, in 2022-23 the provincial government subsidized personal care homes for $49.8 million. That number ballooned the following year to $83.6 million.

"But if you listen to what this report is saying, there was no improvement in these facilities," said Earle.

Earle says he wants to know how that additional funding was used, adding NAPE members haven't seen a significant increase in pay.

Some issues in the report are related to problems in recruiting and retaining workers in the sector, he said, and the report demonstrates that for-profit models of care rarely benefit the vulnerable people meant to be cared for.

Earle says caring for vulnerable populations shouldn't be profit-driven and if personal care homes were a publicly administered system, standards would be consistent across the province.

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