WATCH ABOVE: The Health Quality Council of Alberta released new survey results from residents and family members. Su-Ling Goh has the findings.
EDMONTON – According to surveys by the Health Quality Council of Alberta (HQCA), most residents are content with the quality of care and services at supportive living facilities.
Supportive living facilities are intended for patients who need more than home care, but aren’t ready for long-term care.
The results of two provincial surveys — one for residents’ experience and the other for family experience — were released Wednesday. (You can read both surveys in their entirety below).
Residents rated their overall care at an average of 7.8 out of 10. Families gave overall care a ranking of 8.4.
“The results I think are very encouraging,” said Andrew Neuner, CEO for the HQCA. “We had an extremely high participation rate. Two-thirds of families responded and almost 60 per cent of residents responded.”
READ MORE: Alberta can do better on senior’s care: auditor
When asked if they would recommend their facility to others, 89 per cent of residents and 92 per cent of families surveyed said yes. However, residents’ rankings varied from 52 per cent to 100 per cent, while family members’ rankings spanned from 52 per cent to 100 per cent, depending on the facility.
Smaller facilities tended to receive more positive ratings than larger ones.
“There’s no one facility that scored high in everything and not one facility that scored low in everything,” explained Neuner.
“They all have things to be proud of and they all have things to work on.”
“I think this survey skates around the obvious problem that most albertans that have family members in care know – that there’s a shortage of staff and that these facilities are becoming increasingly expensive,” said NDP MLA David Eggen.
“There is a problem in supportive living. I’m not sure exactly how they came up with the conclusions that they did.”
“Ask anybody who actually accesses this service and they’ll tell you that supportive living is not looking as good as what these numbers say,” said Eggen.
The biggest areas needing improvement were identified (in this order) as: staffing levels, availability, food quality, and resident environment (like safety, privacy and cleanliness).
Staffing, care of belongings, and environment:
Facility scores ranged from 58 to 96 per cent, but the provincial average was 78.
“Family members most frequently provided comments related to staffing levels and, specifically, issues regarding high staff turnover and understaffing,” the report found.
Kindness and respect:
Facility scores ranged from 60 to 100 per cent, but the provincial average was 86.
Food rating scale:
Facility scores ranged from 5.3 to 9.7 out of 10, but the provincial score was 7.2.
“Although some family members complimented the quality of food served at facilities, other family members expressed concerns that food was not always nutritious and did not always meet residents’ dietary needs and health and wellness goals,” the report reads.
READ MORE: Critics sound off about Alberta’s long-term care troubles
Between April 2013 and January 2014, the HQCA, Alberta Health and Alberta Health Services conducted research to measure residents’ and family members’ experiences at 134 supportive living (level 3 and 4) facilities across Alberta.
“These surveys gave residents and families in supportive living facilities an opportunity to share their experiences about the care and services they received,” explained HQCA Board Chair Dr. Tony Fields.
“We hope these results will guide reflection on areas of excellence and opportunities for improvement at supportive living facilities across the province,” added Neuner.
Supportive Living Resident Experience Survey Report Jan 2015
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