The president of the New Brunswick Council of Nursing Home Unions says there are an alarming number of vacant beds in 49 of the 51 nursing homes it represents due to staffing shortages plaguing the sector.
Sharon Teare, president of the NBCNHU, says there are 295 beds vacant in the nursing homes it represents workers in.
There are 382 people waiting in hospital for a bed in a nursing home or long-term care facility. She said it is mainly due to staffing shortages facing the sector, much like in the province’s hospitals and health-care facilities.
“That number was extremely alarming,” Teare said in an interview Monday. She said more investigation is needed to determine why the number is so high, “but we would look at the 80 per cent were a result of staff shortages.”
She said in some nursing homes there are as many as 19 residents for one personal support worker. Teare worries about what level of care residents can get when resources are stretched so thin.
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“It really (is), ‘OK, we really have to do something,’” she said. “It’s time now. Governments have to take some real quick collective action to find out why and to put the right incentives in place.”
Teare said working conditions are not great in nursing homes, leading to gaps in residents’ care.
“Zero vacation. Those kinds of working conditions are preventable, in some sense because it’s been ongoing,” she said. “I think that’s the frustrating piece of this and we’re hearing, sadly, overuse of antipsychotic medication and sedatives because of the staff shortages. Not OK, not OK.”
Cecile Cassista, the executive director of the Coalition for Seniors and Nursing Home Residents’ Rights, said the numbers are concerning, especially the number of residents calling the hospital home.
“Some of the families are sharing with me that their loved ones are having to stay in their bed clothes all day or having to stay in their rooms all day, so this is concerning,” she said in an interview Monday.
Cassista said the total number of people waiting for a nursing home bed is around 700, the majority of those in hospital.
She said she’s written to the new minister of social development about her concerns.
“But I also let the premier know as well,” she said. “Seniors should not be making their homes in the hospital setting and we should do everything possible to let them live in an environment of their choice.”
The Department of Social Development said it is ”working on various projects related to recruitment and retention and is addressing staffing issues with the New Brunswick Association of Nursing Homes, individual nursing homes and other stakeholder groups.”
“A new long-term care plan is being developed to outline ways to provide the support and services needed to keep seniors living as independently as possible,” the email statement said. “It will suggest a more integrated approach in a strong continuum of care which could deliver sustainable, high quality services for seniors over the long term.”
It said there are 275 vacant beds of the more than 4,953 total in the province as of the end of July.
“Most vacancies are due to staffing shortages, but other contributing factors are temporary bed closures due to outbreaks and nobody on the waitlist for some homes,” the email statement said.
The department said vacancies can also be due to the type of services offered, issues related to physical space or the configuration of the building infrastructure.
Despite that, though, Teare vows to remain vocal on the staffing issues that are keeping valuable beds vacant.
“It’s unintentional neglect,” she said. “Our seniors need this. I will not remain silent on this issue. It will not be left unaddressed.”
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