Health Minister Tyler Shandro

By Connor Gunn (LethbridgeNewsNow)

Province looks to improve quality of continuing care

May 31, 2021 | 2:01 PM

EDMONTON, AB– Following the review of the continuing care system in Alberta, the province will attempt to improve the quality of life for residents in these facilities.

The report, discussed by Health Minister Tyler Shandro Monday morning, provides recommendations from residents and their families as well as the work environment for staff and operators, and to make better use of taxpayer dollars.

The following initiatives are being undertaken by AHS to address continuing care centres, Shandro noted:

• Providing direction to support couples and companions to remain living together in continuing care facilities, if they choose.
• Enhancing public reporting on continuing care inspections.
• Phasing out shared rooms in continuing care facilities, including an immediate halt on admissions to rooms where there are already two residents.
• Updating design guidelines for continuing care centres to include learnings from COVID-19 and targeting capital funding to support a greater variety of models for upcoming builds.
• Providing capital grant funding to support Indigenous groups for continuing care services in the communities where they live.
• Expanding community care and service options to enable more people to stay at home.

“Alberta’s government promised that we would strengthen and modernize continuing care for every resident and family, and this review is a concrete plan to do that. It will help us make continuing care better and safer, including applying the lessons learned from the pandemic and the losses suffered by too many families,” says Minister Shandro.

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The final report to Shandro identified 42 recommendations to change Alberta’s facility-based continuing care system.

“Alberta’s government will now work with community partners across the continuing care system to develop an action plan for implementation, including exploring future legislative and funding requirements.”

The report also outlined the need for continuing care services in Alberta and will attempt to grow by 62 per cent by the year 2030.