Seniors deprived of meals and baths in a CHSLD de Laval

Photo Martin Alarie
Kassandra Leclerc wants to expose the alarming situation that she finds each day in the institution where she works.

Camille Garnier

Thursday, 22-feb-2018 01:00

UPDATE
Thursday, 22-feb-2018 01:00

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Elderly people, private bathroom and meals each week are being cared for by employees exhausted and a nervous wreck. For having denounced the conditions of work make grim reading, an employee of a CHSLD de Laval has been suspended by its management.

“Every week people cry. The family of a resident told me that she had never seen a facility that also dealt poorly its residents and its employees, ” says Kassandra Leclerc, a nurse auxiliary and president of the union SQEES-FTQ of the residence Eden in Laval.

This sonneuse alarm 28-year-old has been accused of insubordination by his direction. She was even suspended for a day after having denounced, many times since one year, the conditions of his work.

Lack of effective

It is said that whereas the problems caused by the lack of staff in this private institution serving approximately 150 people. A large majority of these residents come from the public system under an agreement with the CISSS de Laval.

To address the lack of workforce, the staff redouble their efforts, but often fail to provide the basic care, like feeding.

“We already found ourselves at four to feed 24 residents, says Ms. Leclerc. At 11 a.m., the dinner arrives and some lunches prepared at 7 a.m. are still there, because we didn’t have the time to get them. “

Private bathroom

Nurses and attendants often find themselves unable to give a resident a bath weekly.

“In the Christmas time, a woman stayed without a bath for a month, complains Kassandra Leclerc. This is problematic, because the residents are at risk of developing wounds, not to mention the smell. “

Kassandra Leclerc claims to have filed a complaint with the CNESST and alerted the CISSS de Laval and its management over the situation, without any real improvement to be made.

The nurse has rather been a series of disciplinary notices and, recently, a day of suspension, accompanied by a threat of dismissal.

Response

Contacted by The Newspaper, the director of the residence Eden, Julie Salette, has responded to our interview request with an e-mail.

She says that the residents receive quality care and says it has not received any complaint from customers, while recognising that some have already complained of delays in the delivery of services in the absence of some employees.

Ms. Salette adds that the suspension of Kassandra Leclerc would not be related to his union role, but his insubordination, including families of residents would be complaints.

“This suspension is clearly related to my commitment to the trade union,” replied Kassandra Leclerc. To my knowledge, no family complained of insubordination on my part. “

Contacted by The Newspaper yesterday, in the afternoon, the CISSS de Laval did not respond to our request.

Shortage of employees in all of Quebec

The alarming situation of the residence The Eden Laval is representative of the shortage of employees, who affects Québec, according to the vice-president of the Confederation of national trade unions (CSN).

“It is a problem that is widespread,” said Jean Lacharité. I think that the minister [Gaétan Barrette, minister of Health] is aware of it. “

Mr. Lacharité confirms that the shortage has effects on the other professional categories, as is the case at the residence Eden of Laval.

“When the work which should be done by an agent cannot be, because it is in a situation of shortage or overload of work, it is the rest of the staff who is in charge,” he says. When a fitted diaper needs to be changed, it must be that someone else do it. At times, this is going to be a nurse, even if it is not his role. “

Not valued

The vice-president of the CSN considers, however, that residents of NURSING homes who are the first to suffer from this shortage.

“The servants and even employees of housekeeping are the ones who spend the most time in the room of the residents,” he recalls. These are not the jobs recovery, but for a lot of seniors who do not receive visits, it is the last human contact that remains. “

This lack of recognition, combined with the difficult working conditions created by the lack of staff leads to recruitment difficulties in this sector of employment.

“This is not attractive at all, moreover, there is a lot of absences due to sick leave, due to an overload of work and psychological problems,” says Mr. Lacharité.

He adds that the salary of the employees does not correspond, in many cases, the value of the work provided.

This phenomenon affects in particular the private sector, where the hourly rate is usually less than $ 15 per hour, compared to more than 21 per hour in the public.

The shortage of attendants, there were large difficulties of recruitment among nurses.

Around 1600 graduates are unemployed, according to the Ordre des infirmières et infirmiers du Québec, which alerted the public opinion on this subject in the last month.

The residence Eden

• Approximately 150 residents, including 130 public beds (with the agreement of the CISSS de Laval).
• Twenty nurses and 90 orderlies.
• Over 20 posts of clerks to be filled.
• Rates : approximately $5,000/month for private residents (food, care, room).
• More than $1,500/month for residents of the public system with a semi-private room.

Real-life Situations

• Of the elders forgotten in their room without meals.
• A woman who has not received a bath for 4 weeks.
• Employees who weep exhaustion, psychological and physical.
• Obliged to give a glass of Ensure (protein drink) instead of the meal for lack of time.

Source : Union SQEES-FTQ