‘Enough is enough’: Advocates call for more after N.B. nursing home report

A new report looked at safety concerns at New Brunswick nursing homes.

A majority of New Brunswick nursing homes want more staffing, a recently released provincial report found.

The report surveyed 57 nursing homes in the province and found other concerns included needing modernized security systems and more protocols for handling aggressive residents or those with complex behavioural conditions.

“We have to do better as a society, and we have to do better across the board when it comes to our seniors,” said Richard Losier, the outgoing executive director of the New Brunswick Association of Nursing Homes.

The report is in response to alleged sexual assaults at a Saint John nursing home. Sixty-nine-year-old Kevin McGrath is charged with 14 counts of sexual assault at Loch Lomond Villa.

But for Cecile Cassista, executive director of the New Brunswick Coalition for Seniors, the report lacks timelines and accountability metrics.

“Enough is enough. I think it’s time that we deal with this,” she said.

While Losier said he’s concerned the about how long it will take the province to increase its patient hours of care to match Nova Scotia’s, he said if the province continues with its current plans, it will take a decade.

“That to us is not acceptable, and for the residents that are in the homes, that’s definitely not acceptable,” he said.

Minister of Seniors Lyne Chantal Boudreau said she’s meeting with industry representatives in the coming weeks, though she did not say when concrete changes will be made.

“I will continue working with our partners to build a stronger and safe and more compassionate care home system for our seniors,” she said.

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