Long-term care: re-sparking the debate

Staff at Joseph Brant Hospital in Burlington are asking their elderly patients to go home in order to free up hospital beds for those needing acute/emergency care. Critics of this action suggest that the hospital is really removing, rather than freeing up, these beds in order to reduce their $5.5-million deficit. What strikes me as surprising is that staff are wearing "Home First" buttons to promote this initiative. What impression does this give to patients who absolutely need hospital care? Unfortunately, in order to balance the reality of taking on more patients, especially those with acute care needs, others are left to draw the short end of the stick. This time its seniors, re-sparking debate about the need for extended home care coverage and investment in long-term care facilities. 

A few issues are at play.

There are both advantages and disadvantages to receiving care at home. At home, patients are most comfortable in a familiar setting, can move around more to improve rehabilitation, and are away from any threat posed by superbugs at hospitals. However, the sicker the patient, the more supervision they need. Supervision by health care professionals costs money and currently the province only covers 1-hour worth of services - the rest of the costs have to be shouldered by the patient and their family. Admittedly, the hospital is trying to get churches and community organizations to help out, but the absence of any suitable long-term care facilities makes alternatives difficult to consider. 

One hopes that the hospital is only releasing elderly patients when they are deemed fit to leave. This cannot be guaranteed in constrained circumstances where new patient arrivals dictate the frequency of freeing up hospital beds. Acute care needs trump chronic care needs, but a chronic care patient left unsupervised in their home can easily wind up with an acute care problem. Are they ways in which adequate home care services can prevent this from happening?

My housemate Gabe believes that technology offers a solution. Specialized monitoring systems could be set up at home to provide 24/7 visual access on the patient's whereabouts. In addition, gadgets could be attached to their bodies to provide feedback on vitals and any unusual physical movements. All this information could then be fed into a data processor where people would work around the clock to monitor the health and safety conditions of hundreds, if not thousands, of patients living at home. Could this work as a short-term solution? 

WC 

A Tribute to my Housemates!

Call this a cheesy post if you will, but I feel it's time to acknowledge the good men that I have lived with for the past 3 years. As this chapter in my life closes, I can only imagine what kind of success Michael, Dave, and Gabe will achieve in the years to come. Despite the fact that this was our last year living together as a Kingsmount unit, I know we will continue to keep in touch in the future (although I might have some difficulty reaching Gabe - inside joke).

Michael "Kills" Kilian


I am so glad you decided to grow your hair after high school. Keep the current length...it is better than it was in 2nd year (see picture).

Um...where should I begin. I've known you since Gr. 8 of high school. Although we've endured tough times together (i.e. family medical situations), we have somehow managed to stay tight all these years. I think it's because we share the same kind of humour. We can crack each other up in an instant by doing silly things like dancing randomly to the beat of Beyonce's "Single Ladies".

You are the number one go-to man for girl advice and could probably write your own book on relationships if you ever decided to become a writer. It would be a hot sell. At the same time, I can still talk to you about all the emotional and sensitive stuff that I keep bottled up. You have a way of listening well, being empathetic, and offering appropriate advice. Don't worry...you had these skills before taking Carl's Communication class!

Michael mannerisms:

1) "A-buff" (simulating a small explosion of some sort with minor whiplash in the head, arms, and torso).


Davide "Gwai-Lo" Cina

If only I was half the Asian you are...I would be able to speak Cantonese more fluently. You are my long last childhood friend. We have our serious moments (when we discuss about current events), but also our fair share of goofyness (when we make fun of other people in a light-hearted way). I can depend on you for Raman noodles, Pho dinners, and Timmy's coffee. You are also the inside man to get information about the latest buzz in the Asian community. I'm becoming more and more like you by the day - my wardrobe is evidence of this even though I have yet to sport the skinny tie look.

Dave idiosyncracies:

1) "Ehhhhhh"
2) "Look at that"
3) Wushu in the kitchen and the living room. As Sipreeya would say, "I hate you air!"

Although I eat more than you, I am still puzzled by the fact that you eat so quickly.

Our trip to Ottawa for our medical school interview was a blast. I was secretly jealous about your attire because it was better fitted than mine. You cracked me up when you tried using a French accent during a cab ride.

This summer, we shall have many more opportunities to play frisbee, toss the baseball around, and drink strawberry milkshakes at Saigon. We are also becoming CBC radio fanatics. Long live Anna-Maria Tremonti and Jian Ghomeshi.


Gabe "Granovsky" Grant


Last, but not least, is Mr. Gabe. You are one in a million. I could have a conversation with you about anything and everything into the waking hours of the morning. Your dance moves and facial contortions put me to shame. It puzzles me that you remain so social even after spending a full week locked up in your dungeon downstairs. I hope you keep your munchkin minions well fed!

You are a small man with big ideas. Before meeting you, I never thought that eating vegetarian dishes could be so good. You're given me advice on a range of things and I credit you for making me a critical thinker. I don't win a lot of arguments against you, but then again we discuss more than we argue.

I have yet to get you mad...but I will by the end of this summer. You are a family person and this was evident last summer when we spent a few days at Tom's cottage. You have varied skills and varied interests and quite possibly could do anything that you set your mind to. Whatever avenue you wish to pursue in the future, please make sure that it involves interaction with people on some level!

Gabe actions:

1) "____ is necessary but not sufficient"
2) Arm flailing motion after overexaggerating a response.


More cheesiness to follow. Kingsmount housemates, I will never forget those nights where we had dinner parties at Boston Pizza, dancing marathons at Absinthe, and cooking fiascoes at our house. By getting to know each of you so well, I've learned the meaning of trust and the importance of having a close social support group. You guys have always been at the front lines of helping to deal with my problems and are the first to know about good or bad news on my end. I can't believe you still tolerate my random bouts of singing and hip-gyrating movements. I guess you get a kick out of it (at least Reena does). All in all, I shall remember our Kingsmount castle as a community rich with good company, good food, and good conversations. Although there were moments where we jousted, we were more than just knights battling fire-breathing dragons and saving damsels in distress...we lived like kings.

WC