Government is failing the seniors once again

Work in Progress/By Ivan Morgan

There are not a lot of benefits to growing old. More aches, more pains, less mobility – the list goes on. If there is a benefit, it might be perspective. It might be the wisdom that comes from being around a long time.

Case in point. Government just released a long-term care and personal home review. In plain English, a review of old age facilities. I read it. It’s depressing on so many levels.

It’s depressing because its full of pointless professional jargon that masks the issues. The word blather would not be out of place here. I am sure the language means something to someone with a degree in blather, but it’s not much use for people who speak plain English.

It’s depressing because being academic and “professional” in its wording, it has no humanity, even though the irony is it’s a report about caring for people.

It’s depressing because the social “sciences” have made the most human of things – growing old – a pseudo-science. It’s depressing because others have made it a business, where they can make money for themselves. In the middle of this mess are a lot of unhappy people – the residents.

I’ve been reading reports like this for decades. Like so many other government reports, you paid for it, very few will ever read it, it will gather dust and, most depressingly, nothing will change.

Why do I think this? Almost four decades ago I worked on a similar project. I worked for a private human rights organization that received funding to devise and write a bill of rights for persons requiring long term care. Things weren’t great for a lot of residents back then and we were tasked with finding out what, why and how to address the problems.

I remember it well. I was just a young fellow and was not prepared for the reception we received. In most places where we set up meetings we were met as liberators. To say residents were angry was an understatement. Complaints about food, staff, recreation and quality of life were foremost. They thought we would be able to do something for them. Turns out we couldn’t.

If you read the current report, it appears things aren’t great for residents now, 30 years on.  Nothing has changed.

To be fair, back then I was in plenty of facilities which were charming, cozy and caring. I was also in more than a few hell holes.

Our society venerates youth, values young people but doesn’t seem to really know what to do with you when you’re old and need help. Many families know what to do, and those who belong to them are lucky.

The not-so-lucky, the vulnerable, tend to end up in these facilities. One thing I have learned over the years is vulnerable people in our society often don’t get treated very well.

The bill of rights we wrote so long ago was received by the “industry” with amusement and disdain. The “rights” we wrote about, which all came from situations told to us by residents, were dismissed as unrealistic. Rights like the right to privacy, the right to form relationships, the right to have a say in the running of the place you are paying for. Normal stuff.  (Anyone who wants a copy of our “Bill” need only email me – I will send you one.)

I am proud of the document we wrote. I think it stands up today. I am not proud of the fact we didn’t make a difference for the many people who looked to us for help. I remember my boss talking to the media, asking government to stop calling long term care facilities “homes” – because they’re not. As a cute media hook, we claimed if you can’t bake bread in it, it isn’t a home. Politicians and owners were quick to shout us down.

I am sure the people who wrote the latest report meant well, but it made me angry and sad. The data buried in the graphs and jargon speak volumes to anyone who cares to read it. My guess is they won’t. The academics will keep on creating stupid acronyms (my fav? MAPLe – Method for Assigning Priority Levels – whatever that means), the owners will keep on making as much money as they dare, and government has a report they can wave around if they are accused of doing nothing.

And the residents? Read the report. You won’t like the answer.

Ivan Morgan can be reached at ivan.morgan@gmail.com