Kelly Lamrock, the Child, Youth and Seniors Advocate has issued a stunning report. He called for sweeping reforms to New Brunswick’s long-term care sector. The report lays bare the egregious absence of quality care standards. Lamrock contends that these gaps do not measure up to the standards residents of facilities should expect. This absence of definitive direction jeopardizes safety, mobility and quality of life for one of our most vulnerable populations, seniors and individuals with disabilities.
Lamrock’s report similarly matches pace with Dr. John Dornan’s long-time work. The Health Minister’s personal goal is to reduce the number of people in acute-care beds by 20–30%. Dr. Dornan underscores that she wants to see New Brunswickers age in place with dignity, instead of being locked in hospital rooms. His vision includes a framework where individuals receive care at home before transitioning to special-care homes or nursing facilities if necessary.
Lack of Standards and the Need for Accountability
In his report, Lamrock does not hold back in his anger over the lack of known standards for the care and treatment in long-term care facilities. He points out that many individuals currently receiving care in hospitals would be better suited in a long-term care environment.
“I’m a little concerned by the lack of standards of care for people who are in hospital who should be in long-term care,” – Kelly Lamrock
Lamrock is a passionate champion for more accountability in admissions to long-term care settings. He recommends that a high-level official personally approve every admission to ensure proper placement. This is a critical positive recommendation that seeks to stop people from being stuck in institutions without consideration of their needs and wishes.
He further lambastes the federal government’s reluctance to invest in real solutions through community-based care. Lamrock points to a dangerous habit of governments spending in reaction — not prevention, which he feels is contrary to real progress.
“We always seem to have money to do the stupid thing out of desperation late, but we never seem to find the money to do the smart thing early — and to find a way to analyze that,” – Kelly Lamrock
Community Engagement and Person-Centered Planning
Danny Soucy, an advocate for individuals with intellectual developmental disabilities, stresses the importance of person-centered planning when addressing the needs of aging populations. He makes the case that investing in efforts to enlist community members—like friends, family, and neighbors—can go a long way in bolstering support for people living independently.
Soucy supports Lamrock’s recommendations and urges the government to consider community-based solutions that focus on the least restrictive level of care. He’s convinced that building more big facilities isn’t a long-term solution to booming demand for long-term care.
“Creating big, monstrous buildings is not the answer,” – Danny Soucy
Soucy imagines a world where people with disabilities are not dumped into nursing homes because that’s the only option that’s available at the time. Presses hard to focus on their interests and lives in working with them to plan their care.
“We need to look at what their desires are, how they want to live their life, who they want to live their life with, and make sure that that’s happening,” – Danny Soucy
Government Commitment and Future Plans
Dr. John Dornan’s department is actively working on a plan to alleviate pressure on hospitals caused by patients who would be better served in long-term care environments. He admits that overall, the current system creates terrible problems when those acute-care beds are filled with patients waiting to be placed.
“When you get to a point where the percentage of alternate level of care patients is so high that we can’t do surgeries, we can’t treat people in emergency departments, that becomes an acute-care problem,” – Dr. John Dornan
Since Lamrock’s recommendations, the Department of Social Development has been working to address their contents. They’re positively investing in changes that will improve the quality of long-term care. A publicly available tracking system has been developed to regularly report progress on each recommendation and help pinpoint gaps in the delivery of services.
Lamrock’s Saskatchewan Seniors Transportation Initiative Monitoring Report was released on National Seniors Day. It describes the progress the provincial government has made towards putting his original 2024 recommendations into action. He is optimistic but guarded about what happens next.
“If this is going to be something that we accept we’re going to live with for a while, and the government’s goal is to simply freeze it where it’s at, at best, then there needs to be things to improve some of the quality-of-life issues that we identified in the first report,” – Kelly Lamrock
