Searching for a healthcare solution for seniors

Melissa Strle
Times Reporter

 

Debbie Wakelam, owner of Meadowlark Senior Care Homes for the past 15 years, provides a private Alberta government licensed supportive living facility – group home for nine seniors to live in within the Strathmore neighbourhood of Hillview, and she specializes in dementia patients.
Wakelam says she is disappointed with the level of health services seniors in private facilities receive.
To make her concerns heard, Wakelam facilitated a roundtable meeting Oct. 27 to discuss the services she provides to seniors under her care.
“I’m advocating for seniors’ rights and the rights of all private operators,” said Wakelam.
Her roundtable included Richard Gotfried, MLA for Calgary-Fish Creek, Strathmore town councillor Rocky Blokland, members of the community, and residents and families of residents utilizing Meadowlark’s senior care home.
Wakelam said seniors should be entitled to receive all the same health services regardless of whether they are in a private or public homecare setting. She said things such as bandages, flu shots, day programs and nursing care fluctuate depending on private versus public care settings.
In the past, Alberta Health Services has said that while doctors make regular on site visits to Meadowlark, there is no licensed practical nursing care on site and Meadowlark does not employ any registered nurses.
AHS says this limits Meadowlark’s ability to accept all levels of care, and therefore, Meadowlark is not on the government’s list of approved facilities.
However, Wakelam maintains that 24-hour nursing is not a requirement and her facility is still a good option for some.
Wakelam said smaller environments work better for residents with dementia because the setting is “familiar” and they can more easily “participate” and feel more a part of the community versus being in a large facility.
At the meeting, Gotfried asked Wakelam what were the most important services she recognized as not receiving. Her reply: “Recognition that this is the family member’s choice to live this way.”
Wakelam went on to explain that it is hard to say what services her seniors are not receiving because it depends on their own specific level of care required.
However, she voiced concerns that if one of her seniors ended up needing the homecare nurse to come more often due to end-of-life care or a health circumstance requiring more support, she would not be certain the seniors in her small, private facility would be supported as well as they should be.
Norma-Jean Risdon’s father is at the facility, which she described as being “as close to home as it gets.”
Risdon and her dad prefer this type of homecare setting.
Wakelam said her facility has lowered the use of antipsychotic medications that seniors usually come in on. In addition, she provides a two-to-nine ratio of staff to seniors during the day and one-to-nine staff member at night.
Wakelam is licensed by Alberta Seniors; however, Gotfried said she is not well recognized, so he offered to reach out to the Minister of Seniors and Housing and the Minister of Health to explain why this is a problem and ask what they are going to do about it.
“Whether somebody is living in the same home they’ve lived in for 35 years or whether they’re here as a resident, there should be no different treatment of the care they receive,” he added. “They’re penalizing you for being an operator that doesn’t fit their mold.”
Gotfried said everyone is talking about aging in communities, and where older people fit in homecare models. For some older folks, it may be a big institution that fits their needs; but for others it may be a small, home-type setting.
“It’s finding the best solution and then providing the best care wherever that is,” said Gotfried. “Particularly seniors with dementia where familiarity is a huge positive. Why would you not want them living in an environment that is comfortable for them?”
Families of patients with dementia will have to assess the needs of their loved ones and decide on the level of care needed along with the best care option for their loved one. This may include a smaller, home-like setting such as Meadowlark, or a bigger setting with different care options.
Gotfried recognized that Wakelam is providing a small, innovative type of model which the province should be studying and supporting. “It’s not the only way of the future, but I think it’s part of the choice,” he said.
Wakelam noted that in the UK and in Europe, there are hundreds of thousands of this type of senior homecare model.
“Canada is so backwards,” she said.
Gotfried speculated that Alberta Health Services is looking at this seniors housing model as being a bit of a problem right now instead of an opportunity.
Meadowlark is currently experiencing a “piecemeal” approach to its seniors, where a healthcare worker may come in and look at only one senior at a time. However, Wakelam thinks there should be more of a comprehensive team effort where one health care worker comes in and takes care of all the seniors’ medications, physio and other needs.
Wakelam has had her fair share of frustrations.
“It’s been 16 years of a continual lack of cooperation between Alberta Health Services homecare and a privately operated group home,” she said.
Gotfried said there is very little risk involved for the government to support some innovative pilot projects such as Meadowlark’s model, because if they fail, the cost is low, and if they succeed then senior homecare models can improve and be replicated.
Strathmore town councillor Rocky Blokland took notes at the meeting to present to town council and encouraged Wakelam to keep trying to improve seniors’ services.
“I’m just trying to say, don’t give up. At Alberta Health Services there are some people there that listen sometimes,” he said.