The recent release of the Alberta Auditor General's report on Long Term Care Facilities across the province has created some interesting debate. For many who are familiar with such facilities the findings are probably not surprising. What is surprising are two things.
Firstly: the outrageous comments in the Legislature by the Minister of Infrastructure and Transportation, Lyle Oberg. Oberg is a medical doctor. His comments in the Legislature question how an accountant, the Auditor General, could possibly "[audit] a nursing home, a long-term care facility and [make] comments about what medically is being done." The premier is going to have a word with Dr. Oberg.
Secondly: the way the government manages to stall the issue without being hauled over the coals for its lack of action. You will remember that balancing the budget in the early 1990s was done with cutbacks in services across all departments of government. Now the results of those cutbacks, particularly in personnel are showing up everywhere, in hospitals, in schools and in long-term care facilities.

The Auditor General's findings can be accessed at www.oag.ab.ca and by clicking on "The Reading Room." The actual document is entitled Report of the Auditor General on Seniors Care and Programs and is dated May 2005.

ARTA © 2005

Just to whet your appetite, some of the findings on long-term care facilities include:
(1) Alberta Health and Wellness does not have systems in place to develop, maintain and update Basic Standard,
(2) Alberta Health and Wellness does not have an adequate system to monitor long-term care facilities' compliance with Basic Standards,
(3) Alberta Health and Wellness does not have a long-term plan to meet future needs for services in long-term care facilities and supportive living settings.

This issue should not be allowed to disappear into some dusty storeroom!

Seniors United Now (SUN) issued a news release on May 10, 2005, urging "all Albertans to pay attention to what is happening and, perhaps more importantly, to what is not happening in supportive and long-term care in our communities and in our province."

Smile!
Sitting by the window of her convent, Sister Barbara opened a letter from home. Inside was a $100 bill her parents had sent.
Sister Barbara smiled at the gesture. As she read the letter by the window, she noticed a shabbily dressed stranger leaning against the lamp post below.
Quickly, she wrote, "Don't despair, Sister Barbara," on a piece of paper, wrapped the $100 bill in it, got the man's attention and tossed it out of the window to him.
The stranger picked it up and with a puzzled expression and a tip of his hat, went off down the street.
The next day, Sister Barbara was told that a man was at her door, insisting on seeing her. She went down and found the stranger waiting. Without a word, he handed her a huge wad of $100 bills. "What is this?" she asked. "That is the $8,000 you have coming Sister," he replied. "'Don't Despair' paid 80 to 1."