Extendicare administrator builds better understanding of LTC during health-care forum
Marilyn Benn highlighting how the sector plays an important role in the continuum of care
Thursday March 4, 2010 -- Camille Jensen
Developing a better understanding of long-term care’s important role in the health-care continuum is one of several accomplishments cited by Marilyn Benn from her participation in the Future of Health Care forum.

The Extendicare Kingston administrator was among a panel of health-care leaders that fielded questions from the public Feb. 17 in Kingston, along with Christine Elliot, deputy leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario and the Opposition's health and long term care critic in the Ontario legislature.

According to Benn, a large amount of the conversation centred on acute care and ways to curb costs as health care is currently swallowing nearly half of the provincial budget.

While there were several focused questions on long-term care, Benn saw the need to share the number of changes taking place within the sector and generate greater awareness with the public about long-term care.

“I wanted people to realize how important we are in the continuum of care,” Benn tells the Morning Report.

“Long-term care is changing, we have different clientele, our residents require a lot more care, and there is a lot more expertise in our nursing staff.”

Benn spoke about the provincially-funded nurse practitioner program, which is bringing new skills to long-term care that include tube feeds, dialysis and wound care using extraction pumps.

“We didn’t do this stuff five years ago and we are doing that now, and I don’t think a lot of people realize just how advanced the medical care in long-term care has gotten.”

Benn also cited an example for how long-term care could be more efficient, as evidenced in other provinces.

In B.C., Benn says personal support workers are able to pass routine medications to residents. These are medications that do not require an assessment.

In Ontario, only registered staff can hand out medication to residents, which is time consuming and not cost effective.

“What happens in long-term care is we spend all kinds of registered nursing time, that’s our expensive time, behind the medication cart. We literally spend a couple of hours, morning, noon and night, passing medications, when in fact a caregiver could take the medication and give it to (the residents) in the room.”

Another interesting issue raised by an audience member was that there are some people living in long-term care that could live elsewhere provided there was more supportive housing, freeing up long-term care beds.

Benn says she agrees, adding that some seniors who cannot afford retirement homes automatically end up in moving into long-term care because there are no other options.

Benn, who refers to herself as an advocate for long-term care, she also presented before the province during the pre-budget consultations, says the two-hour event was well received by the audience. So much so that there are plans to hold another public forum soon.

The event was hosted by the Islands Progressive Conservative Association of Ontario and was moderated by JC Kenny, CBC Radio's Kingston reporter.

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