Concerns raised about senior care facilities

By Rob Vogt
Senior Protect, a non-profit organization that raises awareness of and combats elder abuse, and advocates for seniors experiencing it, is raising serious questions about senior care in Southern Alberta.
Gabrielle Kirk, director of Senior Protect, appeared as a delegation at the June 8 meeting of Claresholm town council to discuss grave concerns about senior care in facilities across Southern Alberta.
She explained Senior Protect is an elder abuse response program in Southern Alberta.
It was started 10 years ago in Claresholm, and has expanded into some surrounding communities including Vulcan, Fort Macleod and Pincher Creek.
Senior Protect responds to elder abuse claims related to family matters.
Kirk said over the last two years they have been receiving an increasing number of reports from continuing care homes.
Eight different facilities have had reports of significant neglect and harm. One facility had 14 separate incidents.
“The stories are all the same,” Kirk said. “There’s no staff, there’s no help and there’s no dignity.”
Common concerns include severe dehydration; malnutrition; oral hygiene is neglected; pressure sores; and medication protocols are not being followed.
Workplace and management concerns include severe staff shortages; the number of care hours per resident per day are not met; and burnout among staff.
“These are all very common things we have heard of,” Kirk said.
She then went into detail sharing two incidents, which she stressed, are not isolated. Instead, they are symptoms of something and a lot more systemic.
“Families are begging for help to help navigate the system that’s failing them,” Kirk said.
Both incidents were reported to a variety of agencies such as Protection of Persons in Care; the continuing care licensing office; and the whistleblower hotline.
Kirk said these agencies followed up but nothing changed.
A lawyer was also consulted, but the laws in Alberta are so weak and the damage claims so low, lawyers will not pursue these matters.
“Basically someone has to die for there to be a claim,” Kirk said.
The matter was also brought to the ministry of assisted living at the legislature. The only reply was a letter commending Kirk on the study she was doing on Alberta’s healthy aging population.
“So, really, out of all the avenues we’re supposed to pursue to help support these clients, nothing happens,” Kirk said. “There’s been no action in any of these.”
In fact, facilities have been found non-complaint over a number of years.
“We know that these are issues,” Kirk said. “It’s well documented and then nothing happens.
“This is happening in all our communities across Southern Alberta.”
She noted in the last year, abuse reports have tripled. The most common issues were failure to provide the necessities of life such as food, hydration and medical care.
Approximately 55 per cent have repeat incidents, while 90 per cent of care facilities in Alberta are non-compliant with these standards.
Kirk identified several failures in the system.
The burden of proof is always on the person reporting the incident.
Consequently, if someone does not have family, or the client has dementia, these concerns are not getting reported.
If they do have family members, they might not see what’s actually going on. They may not see the client undressed where there may be bed sores or friction burns.
Investigations can drag on for months. It takes weeks to make a report, weeks for an investigator to be assigned, and months for the investigation to happen.
Even when abuse is confirmed, there is no enforcement.
Kirk said it is legislated the government can fine these facilities up to $100,000.
To date, since the legislation was enacted, no facility has ever been fined.
“No facility has faced any enforcement for this,” Kirk said.
Moreover, the provincial government removed the minimum number of care hours per patient per day in 2024, so that is not legislated anymore either.
The province does fund 3.7 hours of direct care per resident per day.
Kirk said because the province removed it from legislation, it is now just a funding model.
“They don’t actually have to provide that much care to someone,” Kirk said.
She added if you actually look at a staff work schedule, it is literally impossible to get 3.7 hours of care per person.
Kirk then provide some recommendations.
She wants to see four hours of direct care per person per day.
“This really does have to be brought back into legislation,” she said.
The minimum patient to staff ratio for registered nurses and health care aides must also be legislated.
There has to be direct provincial funding for recruitment, retention and paid clinical training.
There has to be collaboration between the continuing care licensing office and protection of persons in care, because they fall under two different ministries.
There also needs to be better reporting, investigation and enforcement mechanisms.
“It’s very clear that these issues are well documented but nothing happens,” Kirk said. “There’s absolutely zero enforcement.”
Penalties need to be escalating fines and licence suspensions for re-occurring abuse cases.
There has to be a system navigator so families and residents know where they can report to.
Finally, there has to be transparency. The public has to be aware of these inspection results, compliance histories and abuse cases.
“The system does need to change now,” Kirk said. “There’s no regulatory oversight or repercussions for these systematic failures.”
She concluded she was at council to bring attention to these issues. Kirk has been going to different councils in Southern Alberta because these incidents are in every single community.
Mayor Brad Schlossberger said he attended a meeting of mayors and reeves in Southern Alberta, where the deputy minister was there to answer questions, but had no answers.
“We treat animals better than we treat seniors,” Schlossberger said.