Things are looking good for long-term care homes in the Sun Country Health Region, after a recent CEO tour showing that most of the needs of residents and families are being met within the region. CEO Marga Cugnet noted that overall, residents and family members are satisfied with the care provided at homes in the region.
“We’ve got a very good building and were fortunate to just finish off building three long-term care sites. Those are brand new buildings, and the one in Weyburn is fairly new as well,” said Cugnet. “Infrastructure isn’t as much of a challenge for us.”
Compared to other regions, Cugnet said that Sun Country is doing comparatively well, considering the challenges with the shortfalls long-term care facilities are facing in larger centres like Regina and Saskatoon, regarding replacement and long-term care beds.
Staffing in the region is adequate, but all the same, Cugnet said the region could always use more staff. While it’s not perfect, she described the staff to residents ratio as good, at most of the region’s facilities.
“It’s hard to say if you’re not there. We’re talking about qualitative, so we’re talking about a discussion rather than measurements. There isn’t a standard, so it’s hard to say. If you said it was six hours of care per resident, I’d say, ‘We’re lower than that,’ but if you said the standard is three, I can say we’re above that,” said Cugnet. “I think, from the perspective of the residents, they feel their needs are met most of the time, and they’re not having to wait for services.
“If they put calls out, the staff is responding in a fairly timely manner.”
An area in which the region is looking to improve its service is in diet and menus at long-term care facilities. Residents at many of the facilities had several requests that included more fresh vegetables, larger portion sizes, less fried food and more beef on the menu. In response to the resident feedback, Cugnet said Sun Country has developed some strategies.
“I think it’s always good to consider the needs of the residents here. Sometimes they felt the menu had too much pasta, for example,” said Cugnet. “Many of our residents came from where they ate a lot of beef, in a meat and potatoes sort of deal.”
Cugnet said the region is responding by arranging discussions with the director of food and nutrition services, consulting the residents about what they prefer at each facility. She noted that she doesn’t anticipate menu changes to be difficult to implement.
Long-term care homes in the region have also made an effort to cultivate a more home-like environment for residents by creating a more relaxed system by which breakfast is served, looking to accommodate people who are comfortable waking up at different times.
“They’re quite appreciative of relaxed breakfasts, where you don’t have to get up at 7:30 a.m. to eat your breakfast. Some people like to get up at 7:30 a.m., and some like to get up at 9:00 a.m., and some like to be up by 10:00 a.m., with just toast and coffee,” said Cugnet. “It’s up to the residents, and they like that schedule more than a regimented schedule.”
Cugnet described the direct discussions with residents and families as important and productive tools for properly assessing where long-term care is at in the region. She added that having councils and creating expectations for staff to meet needs and address issues have also helped create a productive environment in which residents are cared for in a satisfactory manner.
“From the standing point of the system, we need to hear more about what the residents see as important to them, because we might think we’re really doing something well, and the residents might say it’s not important to them,” said Cugnet.
Cugnet referred to the introduction of weekend activities for residents as a situation in which the importance of their input proved valuable in improving service and meeting needs. Traditionally there were no activities planned for weekends. After hearing “very loudly and clearly” that residents were bored on weekends, dissatisfied with a lack of activity, the ministry was consulted and funds were obtained to hire more staff.
With more staff working, activities were more easily implemented on weekends. Residents gave immediate positive feedback to such a development.
Cugnet said, “It’s important for us to listen to what our residents are telling us.”
