Care to Chat wrap up: Appropriate number of care hours

On February 15^th, BC Care Providers Association (BCCPA) held a sold-out Care to Chat event titled Time to Care: What is the appropriate number of care hours? Moderated by long-time broadcaster and co-host of CHEK TV’s Steele & Vance Show, Lynda Steele, this discussion featured panelists Mark Blandford, President and CEO of Providence Living, Dr. Kim McGrail, Professor and Director of Research at the UBC School of Population & Health, and Ann Marie Leijen, CEO at Maplewood Care Society.

The panel’s discussion focused on the target of four hours of care per resident day. While Health Standards Organization’s (HSO) new national standards cite 4.1 hours as being a minimum level of care, panelists highlighted not only the challenges associated with achieving this standard, including workforce shortages and a lack of funding, but also the arbitrary nature of the goal. The panel emphasized that when delivering the best quality of care for residents, the primary focus should be on outcomes, such as quality of care and well-being measures, rather than on the number of inputs. The panel also discussed the important role non-clinical workers – including housekeeping and administrative staff – play in supporting residents living in care.

When asked how the system could be adapted to improve the quality of care received by long-term care residents, panelists spoke to the need for investment in professional development and education, more flexible approaches to care and skills mix (such as those seen in dementia village models), a focus on quality of life which permeates throughout all aspects of seniors care, and accountability through research and reporting. More investment in these areas is needed to ensure the quality of care of seniors living in long-term care.

Register for the final Care to Chat of Season 10, titled Tech Talk: How can the care sector effectively incorporate new technologies?, happening on April 20^th at the Terminal City Club.