OMNI representatives delivered postcards to MPP Norm Sterling. From left: Rick Gourlie, Norm Sterling, Carolyn Della Foresta, and Kelly Desjardins.
Membership homes work diligently to get postcards signed
Monday March 3, 2008 -- Deron Hamel
Homes owned by two major players in Ontario’s long-term care sector have worked hard to help make the Ontario Long-Term Care Association’s (OLTCA) annual awareness campaign a success, and the proof is in the number of signatures returned on postcards from people supporting the association’s initiative to get increased funding in this year’s provincial budget.

While the final numbers haven’t been tallied, representatives from long-term care homes owned by OMNI Health Care and Leisureworld are pleased with the success of this year’s postcard-signing campaign.

Postcards produced by the OLTCA and featuring this year’s slogan, “Long-Term Care Needs More Than a Band-Aid,” were delivered to membership homes about two weeks ago.

Homes encouraged residents, family members and staff to sign the postcards and engage their friends about the issues facing long-term care. The signed postcards were then returned to homes by Feb. 29.

Each home has been asked to personally deliver the postcards their local MPP.

OMNI-owned Almonte Country Haven managed to get a whopping 426 postcards signed. The 82-bed Ottawa-area home’s administrator Rick Gourlie feels this year’s slogan made a difference in the minds of those who signed.

“Having a simple message like “Long-Term Care Needs More Than a Band-Aid” is a good message to put out — people get it,” he says.

Gourlie was joined by representatives from Forest Hill and Garden Terrace — both in Kanata — in handing the cards to Carleton—Mississippi Mills MPP Norm Sterling.

The trio met with Sterling for 40 minutes and spoke with him about the importance a $513-million earmark in the 2008 budget would make in the lives of residents in long-term care homes.

Leisureworld’s 27 long-term care homes have also had a busy two weeks with the campaign.

Leisureworld Caregiving Centre Altamont in West Hill collected 151 signed postcards during the awareness drive. The cards will soon be delivered to Scarborough—Guildwood MPP Margaret Best.

Saira Haq, a resident and family resource worker, says the campaign’s success was largely due to the home’s efforts to make sure everyone walking into the building saw the display and postcards.

“And if there were any questions, the staff members answered them,” she adds.

According to the OLTCA, a $513-million injection would:

• Provide an additional 24 minutes of daily care to help residents get to meals, go to the bathroom, etc., by adding more personal support workers
• Increase the average number of daily incontinence changes from 3 1/2 to approximately five for those who need it
• Increase programs and activities during the evening and on weekends by adding an activity aide per home seven days a week
• Improve dietary assessments by increasing the time for consultation with clinical dieticians
• Improve meal services by adding food service workers
• Improve clinical assessments be adding more registered nursing staff
• Stop the four-year erosion in housekeeping, laundry, maintenance and other services

If you have feedback on this story, please call the newsroom at (800) 294-0051 or e-mail deron(at)axiomnews.ca.