By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

in dire straits

Private care home owners demand government provide equitable support

Jun 8, 2020 | 8:00 AM

A pair of private care home owners in Red Deer, as well as the family of a resident, is calling for the provincial government to take immediate action.

They say it makes no sense, especially during a pandemic, for private facilities to not receive any aid or subsidization like how public AHS-affiliated homes do.

The UCP government recently announced a $170 million package for facilities that house seniors.

Andrea Klooster, who has run Harmony Care Homes since 2017, says while they operate on a for-profit model, actual profits are slim to none. She hasn’t taken a paycheque since the pandemic began even though she’s also been working in the home as a registered nurse.

“One of the things is our PPE: we have gotten a little from the government, but at one point we will be charged for that. Then there’s the $2 wage increase to all caregivers in the public system – well my members also deserve that too, but I can’t give that to them because of our expenses,” Klooster shares.

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“The other thing is that because of COVID, people now have a fear of long-term care facilities. I’m now down to eight out of 12 beds filled after a number of residents passed away from natural causes, and I can’t fill them when normally that can be done very quickly.”

Karen Cazemier runs two Community Care Cottages in east Red Deer – one of which has 10 beds and sits empty – and says the government has imposed restrictions without additional money to comply with them.

“Home care nurses call us all the time and ask if we have space. They’re backed up for miles; for six months to a year sometimes. We tell them that yes, we have space, but no one ends up moving in because people can’t afford to pay private costs.”

Cazemier and Klooster are careful to not imply that the quality of care in taxpayer-funded homes is bad, but they firmly believe the care in private facilities is better because of the lower ratio (4:1) of residents to workers.

“That’s what people pay for,” says Klooster. “What that means is we’re there right away, we have time to serve them meals more often, and it’s more personalized care.”

On top of having lost staff to the one-facility rule, Klooster says they’re also paying inflated prices for PPE – up to $80 for a box of 50 masks, for example.

Cazemier adds that while Alberta’s private care homes languish, those in B.C., Saskatchewan, Ontario and Manitoba all get some level of support.

Jill Griffith’s 96-year-old father has dementia and has lived at Harmony Care Homes since March.

“They’re doing all the right things at Harmony,” says Griffith. “It would be an absolute crime if a place like this, which is a model of care, closes down. This is how seniors should be cared for and I think subsidization could be done for the residents individually too.”

She’s also calling into question a page on the UCP’s albertastrongandfree.ca website which states: “United Conservative Government Will Support Alberta’s Seniors By: -Allowing for the creation of innovative community options (more care at home, and new personal care homes with a maximum of 15 people) for seniors who need more care than can be provided at home alone but who require less care than provided at supportive living facilities.”

Griffith reached out to several government officials, including her local MLA, Jason Stephan of the UCP.

A response to Griffith from Stephan’s constituency manager states, “Please know that MLA Stephan is keenly aware of the inequities both funding and otherwise between the private and public seniors centres.”

rdnewsNOW reached out several times to Alberta Health for comment but did not get a response.