We all know we are not getting any younger, but the thought of being a Senior in a LTC Facility is probably the furthest thing from your mind and besides that will never happen to me, oh but it just might....and you don't have to be old to be in LTC faciltiy. A car accident, brain disorders, stroke, heart attack, MS and many other complications that can arise in life by SURPRISE and just might put you in LTC! There are younger Residents than me where I work.....sad.
Now how would you like it if in 24 hours, nursing only helped you for 2 hours of it, yup that's it. That's dressing, feeding, toileting, bathing and so on plus any medical treatments that maybe required and medication given by either an RPN or RN.
As a PSW myself I know that "2.0 hours" per day is NOT ENOUGH. We defineately need "4.0 hours" per day of nursing care given to "your love ones" and "our Residents" in LTC and Standards need to be put in place called "Ratios" across Ontario.
(8-1) Residents to PSW ratio.....AND NOT OUR CURRENT (12-16) Residents RATIO WE HAVE NOW! This is insanely crazy number that one PSW has to take care of these folks. LTC has change to nothing more than ASSEMBLY LINE CARE!
So with that being said I have started a Petition against a time of Broken Promises....Promises that we made at 2003 election time that the PSWs hours of care would INCREASE if you vote for us, but once the LIberals were elected in, the Liberals elected to FORGET their Promises of Increasing PSWs in LTC and making Standards that would BENEFIT ALL PSWs across Ontario no matter what field you worked in.
Let our Residents be safe, healthy and happy and let them die with dignity as this is their Last Home and quit often we (PSW) are the last person there they see, holding their hand as they take their last breath of air......so please stop the assemily line CARE. Lets put the LTC -love, tenderness and compassion back into Long Term Care.
Please help us to STOP the ASSEMBLY LINE CARE and take a minute to not only HEAR US, "the PSW" across Ontario but actually LISTEN to US!
Thank you, sincerely
Lisa Barker - a Proud PSW of 33 years in Ontario LTC
