Seniors enjoy changes

By Greg Nikkel

Residents in long-term care facilities in the Sun Country Health Region are happy to have improved facilities and equipment available, and to have activities expanded to seven days a week, due to funding provided by the Health ministry.

Health minister Dustin Duncan, who is also the Weyburn-Big Muddy MLA, paid a visit to the Tatagwa View long-term care centre on Thursday as he and CEO Marga Cugnet spoke about what the extra funding has meant for the health region and for the residents.

"Our government is committed to a better quality of life for all residents in long-term care facilities. That's why we provided $10.04 million to all health regions for the most urgent quality of care initiatives in 2013, and an additional $3.7 million for ongoing initiatives. It's wonderful to see this funding making a difference for all of you here in Tatagwa View," said the minister, referring to the funding provided through the Urgent Issues Action Fund to long-term care facilities.

Speaking to a group of residents in the Chat-Away activities room, along with some health care workers, minister Duncan noted among the improvements was an expansion of activities for residents from six days a week to seven.

"I am happy to be here today to help you all celebrate a recent improvement to your activities calendar. To some people, expanding activities for seniors in a long-term care home from six days a week to a full seven days a week may not sound like a big deal. But I know differently.

"I know that it is often the little things in a day that help improve quality of life. I also know that regularly scheduled activities are something to look forward to and plan your day around. That's why I am proud that funding provided by the province has been used by the Sun Country Health Region to hire an additional part-time staff member to expand the activities program," said Duncan.

Cugnet explained the funds also provided assistance to buy needed equipment upgrades, such as more slings for lifting of patients, wander-guard systems within facilities like Tatagwa View to monitor the safety and movement of residents with dementia, specialized mattresses to reduce bed sores or other skin care issues, and more hot food carts to improve the meals service.

Up until this extra funding was provided, Tatagwa View had provided activities for residents six days a week; the fund made it possible to hire an additional part-time staff member to expand the program to seven days a week.

"We heard from residents that weekends were long days and were very boring. That's why we put this forward to the minister. The relief of boredom is recognized as a major risk to the health of our residents in long-term care facilities. That's why weekend activities are so important. These activities contribute to good mental health, helping keep seniors more physically and mentally challenged and improving overall health and life satisfaction," said Cugnet.

She added, "I love it when school kids come and do activities with you."

Minister Duncan said later the ministry had asked the CEOs of the health regions to have a look through their facilities to see what ways the care of long-term patients could be improved.

"We wanted to respond to what the CEOs were telling us. Knowing this was a limited one-time allocation of funds, we didn't want to just leave it, so we provided the $3.7 million for ongoing costs of operations related to staff for these programs," said Duncan.

Cugnet noted she had consulted initially with the residents councils in the long-term care homes, and in getting back to them after this funding was announced, she said they were very positive about the improved equipment and program upgrades that were made possible.

There are about 19 long-term care facilities in the Sun Country Health Region which benefitted from the funding.