Really alarming situation

The existing violence among residents in long-term care homes in Ontario is really alarming. This has become what an expert calls a”critical situation”.

And it seems that a homicide rate seven times higher than that of the largest cities in Ontario would cause immediate alarm and action. This especially because the deaths are occurring in a place that is supposed to be safe for some of the most vulnerable.

Among the data obtained by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, it was found that at least 29 people have been killed by another resident in long-term care homes in the last six years.

Violence between residents and residents in Ontario’s long-term care homes has increased by 105 percent between 2011 and 2016. In fact, the province’s coroner has repeatedly warned that it is an urgent problem and that it is persistent.

Violence between residents increases, however predictable

Although violence between residents has increased, it seems that it is somewhat predictable. And there is a new report from the Health Coalition of Ontario that says that this increase is completely predictable.

Likewise, Natalie Mehra, who is the executive director of the group, said “There is a critical situation in long-term care”, and likewise added, “The acuity of the residents is extremely high, the levels of attention are too low and the levels of violence have really skyrocketed”.

In the same way, she has indicated the existence of needs in the residents, which have changed drastically. Older people who come to care homes are older, more vulnerable, and more often have dementia, which in turn can lead to confusion and aggression.

Do not leave out a very important and significant fact, staff levels to monitor the unpredictable has not kept pace. Being that in some houses, there is only one employee who watches over 20 residents at night.

So the executive director of the group has also indicated, “It’s a pretty simple equation”, and she added, “If you do not have enough staff and you have residents who have dementia and have behaviors [where] they kick or hit, they need support”.

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Source: Jonathon Gatehouse | The National Today — CBC News