Only 43 per cent of seniors in residential care facilities report a doctor visits them when they are sick and only 44 per cent say the care they get from a doctor is very good or excellent, according to a new report from the provincial seniors advocate.
In the survey, conducted between June 2016 and May 2017, more than 10,000 residents in care and more than 10,000 of their family members were asked in excess of 100 questions about care.
"For the first time in this province, we have heard the collective voices of some of our most frail and vulnerable seniors across all of our care homes," said Isobel Mackenzie, B.C, Seniors Advocate.
"What they are telling us is that while some are satisfied in some areas, overall, we need to be doing better, and in some cases, much better in ensuring the needs of residents are met.
Four out of 10 seniors who took the survey said they didn't want to be where they were living while half of the residents said the overall quality of the care home was very good or excellent.
Personal hygiene is another issue where 62 per cent of residents do not get to bathe or shower as often as they'd like, with 50 per cent saying it rarely or never happened as often as they'd like.
One in four residents didn't get the help they needed to get to the toilet when required and only a quarter of residents reported staff tries to relieve physical discomfort only sometimes, rarely or never.
An example of physical discomfort includes when a resident needs help shifting in their seat to relieve a sore back, hip or bottom.
"What we haven't been good at is actually asking the residents themselves what they think of the care they receive and this survey gave us the opportunity to hear feedback that is so critical in making care improvements," Mackenzie said.
Other items on the list of areas that need to be improved include continuity of the care provider so a resident might develop a relationship with the staff. The report also said only 46 per cent of staff make an effort to interact with a resident in a friendly manner.
Four out of ten residents say there needs to be more of a variety of food available in their care home.
Recommendations include several items like providing better physician care while increasing the role of nurse practitioners to improve overall care, increasing staffing levels, providing ongoing education for all care staff about the importance of a resident's emotional well being, improving many aspects of meal time, and increasing the levels of activities on weekends and evenings.
"We have to remember that for people who are living in residential care, this is their home, and very likely their last home," Mackenzie said. "We need to do all that we can to ensure those who live there have the very best experience possible."
