Above Watch: Families were shocked and outraged to discover on Tuesday that Cote St. Luc will lose a popular drop-in centre for seniors by the end of the month. Ines De La Cuetara reports.
MONTREAL — It’s been a week since it was first announced the CLSC René-Cassin drop-in centre will be shutting down. On Tuesday, healthcare administrators confronted the media to explain their decision.
“Let me me be clear, this is a much better way to provide services to the population,” said Dr. Lawrence Rosenberg, president of the CIUSSS Centre-Ouest-de-l’Ile-de-Montreal.
“It’s not a budget issue,” he added.
The CLSC on Cavendish will now be part of a larger umbrella group. This is all part of Bill 10, which aims to re-organize the healthcare system. Still, administrators said the decision to eliminate some services at René-Cassin was made long before Bill 10, and insisted the changes will only benefit the population.
“We want to upgrade services that currently exist,” said Rosenberg.
“You have to give us some time.”
But those who use the centre told Global News they weren’t so sure.
“I feel so sad it’s closing because there’s a lot of elderly people who come here for the services,” said Marilyn, a caregiver who said she worries about the impact this could have on the community.
“They don’t realize the problem, in this area we need these services,” she added.
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“This is something they’ve had for a long time, and its something that’s very well used,” said Sherry McLeod of the NDG Senior Citizens Council.
“When you work with an older population, people are more vulnerable and you have to build trust, relationships, be consistent,” she said.
“It’s very difficult to have this when you have part time, temp staff and ongoing changes.”
About 40 local seniors currently use the centre, and though the CLSC itself will remain open, its caregiver program and day centre will be relocated to two other centres in the West Island.
“As for the travel time, it’s not good for the seniors,” said Marilyn.
On Tuesday, health administrators did issue an apology.
“Not pre-consulting with users and their families was a mistake,” said Dr. Rosenberg.
“I can assure you that going forward, the decision making process will be different.”
The CLSC René-Cassin’s caregiver support centre and day centre will close at the end of the month.
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