Families, politicians pleased with positive report at Pioneer Manor

A Sudbury woman has the right to access her late father’s health records, Ontario’s Information and Privacy Commissioner has ruled. (File)

Sudbury — Loved ones and elected officials say they are pleased with the latest quarterly report from Pioneer Manor, which highlights some good news at the city-owned long-term care home.

Pioneer Manor, one of the largest long-term care homes of its kind in Ontario, presented an update Monday to councillors who sit on the community services committee for the months of July, August and September.

"It was a great report -- it shows the people of Pioneer Manor are doing everything they are supposed to be doing and the residents are in really good hands," said Ward 5 Coun. Robert Kirwan. "We're always worried about the loneliness and social isolation that strikes older adults when they can't see their family."

Most devastating

Kirwan said that was probably the most devastating part of COVID-19, and he was glad to see it resolved with the introduction of visitors and essential care providers.

Councillors also learned of the process that's being taken if someone pulls their loved on out during an outbreak. If they want return once the outbreak is done, they're put to the top of the wait list.

"Since you're not taking any new admissions during an outbreak, those beds shouldn't be filled up," Kirwan said. "It's just that the grant structure is very rigid and you have to maintain a 96 per cent occupancy rate."

There was also another note of how many complaints or critical incidents Pioneer Manor has received over the course of the three-month period. During that time, there were 13 critical incidents relating to alleged or actual cases of abuse or assault.

"Any time you have people taking care of other people, there's going to be an opportunity for concern or a complaint, and so when complaints come forward we have an obligation under the Act to report it to the director of long-term care and initiate an investigation," said Pioneer Manor director Aaron Archibald.

Of the 13 they looked at, there was only one substantiated allegation involving staff and a resident's allegations.

Details not released

Details about the specific incident were not revealed in the report.

"We do everything to strive forward to make sure we correct those issues and take the appropriate measures," Archibald said. "Our primary focus has always been the health and safety of our residents."

Councillors heard how complaints and reporting are some of the most rigid systems in the province for long-term care.

"You know there was maybe some questionable reporting a few weeks back about incidents, about a high number of incidents at Pioneer Manor, but when you factor in there's 433 beds, compared to the average in the province, the incidents per bed is way lower than many of the place," said Ward 4 Coun. Geoff McCausland.

McCausland and Ward 6 Coun. Rene Lapierre, as vice-chair and chair of the committee, have been meeting monthly with people like Archibald to keep abreast of what's happening.

"It's really remarkable on how they've kept on top of things during this pandemic," McCausland said. "They've been working really hard to ensure everyone has access, that they have time to see their families, time to see their caregivers, to look after PPE and it really is .... there's a lot of good news stories coming out of Pioneer Manor."

Occupancy rates

The report tackled things like the wait list, the number of falls they've seen and occupancy rates involving their beds, both basic and private.

Family members said they're encouraged with what they're seeing and they have the utmost confidence in the staff at the facility.

"If things continue the way they are now, that'll be good, but with the numbers going up across the province, that's not a good sign so hopefully in Sudbury and in Northern Ontario we can keep the numbers of viruses down in the homes very low," said Terry Martyn, who's part of the Pioneer Manor Family Council.

Martyn said staff have been doing an incredible job keeping COVID-19 out of the facility as best they can, but they are overworked. He said the provincial government should be doing more to help personal support workers.

"They're understaffed, every home in the province is understaffed," Martyn said. "They're being asked to stay on and work an extra shift ... they're doing their best but if you're short staffed you may only be able to provide the basic care."

He said it's going to take some time to help seniors who were drastically affected by the effects of the lockdown earlier this year.

"Many suffered," Martyn said. "We're hearing from our colleagues, and they will never recover to the way they were before … Since the lockdown has been lifted and we got the essential caregivers, it's made a big difference but still, when you see those that have declined, it's not a pleasant sight."

Read the full report here.