A grey area: The challenges of long-term care in Manitoba

Homes cater to residents’ spiritual needs at crucial time of life

John Longhurst 6 minute read Preview

Homes cater to residents’ spiritual needs at crucial time of life

John Longhurst 6 minute read Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025

When Renata Cook’s 90-year-old father needed to be placed in a personal care home, there was only one choice: the Holy Family Home in the North End.

It wasn’t just because of the dedicated and compassionate staff at Holy Family, which is owned and operated by the Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate. It was also because of the deep commitment the home has to the spiritual care of its residents.

“It was so important to have someone available to talk to about his spiritual questions,” said Cook of the spiritual care team at Holy Family. “It’s a place that feels safe for him physically, emotionally and spiritually… God’s love is evident there.”

Michelle Thiessen leads the spiritual care team at Holy Family, located at 165 Aberdeen Ave. “It’s an honour to serve the residents in this way,” she said. “It’s more than a job. It’s a calling.”

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Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025

RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS
Holy Family Home spiritual advisor Michelle Thiessen: ‘It’s more than a job. It’s a calling.’

Care home bed shortage key contributor to ER overcrowding, other health-care system woes

Tom Brodbeck 5 minute read Preview

Care home bed shortage key contributor to ER overcrowding, other health-care system woes

Tom Brodbeck 5 minute read Monday, Dec. 30, 2024

A shortage of personal care home beds not only causes long wait times for seniors seeking appropriate places to live, it also contributes to hospital overcrowding and emergency-room congestion.

Like the rest of Canada, Manitoba’s $8.2-billion publicly funded health-care system is highly interdependent. Breakdowns or shortages in one area of the system usually have an impact on other parts of health-care delivery.

Delays in accessing diagnostic testing, for example, drive up wait times for surgical procedures because the latter often can’t proceed before a detailed diagnosis is made.

A shortage of primary care — such as access to a family doctor — leads to more patients with acute illnesses showing up at hospital emergency departments. Poorly organized immunization programs with weak communications strategies lead to more acute illnesses in hospitals. The list goes on.

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Monday, Dec. 30, 2024

MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS
A hallway at Deer Lodge Centre (2109 Portage Ave.) Reporter: Maggie Macintosh 241219 - Thursday, December 19, 2024.

MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS Minister of Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care, Uzoma Asagwara, during a year-end interview. Reporter: Carol Sanders 241212 - Thursday, December 12, 2024.

A pledge to deliver dignity

Health minister talks about building personal care homes, creating seniors’ advocate and the weight of managing crucial portfolio

Carol Sanders 7 minute read Monday, Dec. 30, 2024

MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS
Ellen (front) raises her noodle above her head while participating in noodle hockey, a popular recreational activity at Fred Douglas Lodge on Burrows Avenue.

‘If you don’t use it, you lose it’

Care home staff get creative to keep residents physically and mentally stimulated

Maggie Macintosh 9 minute read Monday, Dec. 30, 2024

Long-term care means non-stop nickel-and-diming

Shawna Forester Smith 5 minute read Preview

Long-term care means non-stop nickel-and-diming

Shawna Forester Smith 5 minute read Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024

The grey tsunami is coming and baby boomers beware — living in long-term care is a huge financial burden.

Residents of long-term-care facilities are expected to contribute toward their costs. This daily fee is set annually by Manitoba Health. Everyone is assessed the highest rate, which is currently $101.10 a day (or $37,000 a year), and then the onus is on residents to apply for a reduction if they feel they are entitled to one.

There are strict parameters for reductions, and the policies are heavily skewed toward elderly and single elderly residents. People like me who are relatively young, and with a spouse living in the community, aren’t served well by the exemptions.

The appeal process involves a mountain of paperwork and takes, in some cases, years to complete. It’s extremely complicated, stressful and there is no guarantee of success.

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Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024