PART 2 OF JULY'S SHARON HOME MEETING: WHAT ABOUT BOARD REFORM, STAFFING, NURSE PRACTITIONER, COMPLAINTS, COMPANIONS ET AL ?

[Readers may also be interested in reading the letters re: our reporting on the Sharon Home meeting in the editorial/letters section.]

Harriet Berkal has told the Winnipeg Jewish Review that “there are several people who are interested in sitting on the Sharon Home Board” and that her group of concerned family members “want to see democratic elections.”

A member of the audience who spoke at the July 25th meeting also indicated that reform of the current by-laws ought to take place to allow for this to occur.

At the meeting at the Sharon Home there were a number of people who indicated that they were pleased with the care their loved ones receive at the Home. One person noted that many non Jewish families have chosen the Sharon Home because it is one of the best seniors’ homes.

One person suggested that if there are 5 families complaining out of 200 residents, “that means that there is a satisfaction rate of 97.5%.” In his opinion,” the staff, the executive, the board, should be applauded and congratulated for doing such an excellent job.”

A board member said that he has had 5 family members in the home over the last 15 years, and that they all received excellent care, although he recognized that there are some problems. He indicated that he thought that at the meeting they were hearing from “mostly the vocal minority” and reiterated that the majority of people that have family at the home are happy with the care.

Elaine Berlinner said she is aware of more than just the group of 5 families that have complained about issues at the Home to the Department of Health. There has been many families calling Jean Cox, Manitoba Health anonymously and complaining about the Home [as has been reported in the Winnipeg Jewish Review.] She noted that in addition to the neglectful death of Peck, and Rabbi Berkal, there was the case of the man that froze to death outside of the Sharon Home north. At the meeting Jean Cox, Manitoba Health acknowledged receiving more than a handful of complaints from families.

Cox also said she believed accountability was in place to ensure that the action plan for the Sharon Home is carried out.

There was also some discussion at the meeting about whether or not there was enough nursing staff at the home. At least two people indicated that they believed there was a shortage of staff.

Sources say that Milton Sussman indicated that there was no evidence that Peck’s death had occurred because of insufficient staffing resources. He said that “the direction of the standards review is around accountability, knowing people’s roles, being responsive to families, and communication.”

Another person at the meeting indicated that during the day 2 nurses look after 20 residents and at night 2 nurses have to look after 40 residents. This is a problem that could be solved with more government money.

Another person commented that there should be more management presence on the shifts.

A member of the audience said that she was threatened by staff that if she tried to walk her mother (who was in the home), she would be refused entry into the Sharon Home. She wondered, “Is this a provincial policy or is this a Sharon Home policy?”

Cloutier answered, “That should be a rare occurrence. It should be only if the safety of the individual is at risk.”

The audience member said that she thought that this threat was just used regularly to control family. [Note the Sharon Home has not replied to how many threatening letters it has issued to family members of residences in the last year, a question that was asked over three weeks ago by the Winnipeg Jewish Review. Assuming this is indeed a rare occurrence, one would have thought that the Sharon Home could easily have provided this answer to the Winnipeg Jewish Review.]

Another audience member raised the issue of the large number of companions working at the home who he indicated do the jobs that should be carried out by Sharon Home staff. Sussman said that part of the review will look at “what is the role of staff, what is the role of companions and how do they interact with staff in the facility.”

Another issue raised was the question of whether the Sharon Home ought to be a beneficiary of the Jewish Federation. The Winnipeg Jewish Review has confirmed that in order to be a beneficiary the Sharon Home would have to open its books up to the Federation. As of last month, Bob Freedman, CEO of the Federation indicated that no such discussions about the Sharon Home becoming a beneficiary had occurred.

Although a gentleman at the meeting said, “The Jewish Federation has offered money to the Sharon Home contingent upon them opening their books. The Sharon Home has not done that yet and no money has been given. What is the problem?”

No response was given by any Board member as to what the Board’s position was regarding potentially becoming a beneficiary of the Jewish Federation.

Harriet Berkal told the Winnipeg Jewish Review after the meeting that “I have been told that due to my urging for better palliative care at the Home, they are finally offering subcutaneous morphine.”

She said, "Up until we lobbied for subcutaneous morphine (which is injectable morphine through a syringe or via IV) the Home was only able to offer morphine to someone dying in the form of a suppository. You can imagine how useless this could be in the case of someone like my father who had an excruciating bowel obstruction and was vomiting feces. The absorption rates don't compare."

Berkal’s group also demands that there be a nurse practitioner on site. According to Berkal, the Sharon Home has various General Practitioners who are on call for likely 40-50 patients each.

"The Doctors often come in, and some diagnose over the phone, or alter medications over the phone with no examinations. There is little on site / hands on expertise to direct questions to. For example a Sharon Home doctor over the phone said my dad had congestive heart failure as his legs were swollen. We took him outside the facility to see his old GP who did blood work and x-rays and he did not have congestive heart failure."

"The RN's and LPN's hesitate to bother the doctors. Some only call on certain days and others need something to really have festered before they take any action. The physicians are paid on a block fee basis, versus a fee for service, so that means that they don't get paid every time they see someone."

"The nurse practitioner, I suspect, would be on salary and would handle on site scenarios before they get out of hand. A nurse practitioner could potentially save a life."

According to Berkal, the WRHA already has hired three nurse practitioners and they were hoping to obtain 6 - 9 who would float between homes.

"But we want one at the Sharon Home on a regualr basis," Berkal told the Winnipeg Jewish Review.