Eight seniors no longer requiring hospital care were hastily transferred to the Sainte-Adèle Accommodation and Long-Term Care Center (CHSLD) about ten days ago. Their room ? A multifunctional activity room, without toilet. The head of the medical service at the accommodation center and the Union of Healthcare Professionals of the Laurentides (FIQ-SPSL) consider the situation unacceptable.
The medical team at the CHSLD de Sainte-Adèle learned, with 24 hours’ notice, that it would welcome eight new residents from hospitals in the Laurentians as of Tuesday, September 19. “The first patient arrived at the same time as the beds, while the room was practically completely empty,” says the head of the CHSLD medical service, Dr.r Dominic Pelletier. There were no curtains [entre les usagers] at the beginning. They were installed on Friday. »
In the absence of a toilet, users must resort to a commode. “I was told of a situation where we were changing dressings just on the other side of the curtain of a patient who was on the commode to have his bowels,” says Dr.r Pelletier.
The doctor has difficulty understanding why these seniors were transferred so quickly to his accommodation center. “It was done in a somewhat garrulous way. It gives an image of a manager who saw an empty room and said to himself “perfect, we put beds there, we send patients there” without thinking about the human consequences that it was going to have, as much on the patients who find themselves in a frankly inadequate situation – it should be a living environment – than on the team, which, like almost everywhere, is at arm’s length. »
The president of the FIQ-SPSL, Julie Daignault, denounces the way in which this transfer was carried out: her members learned of it “within an hour’s notice”, she maintains. “They were stressed, angry. There was no additional staff to properly accommodate these patients. »
She believes that the multifunctional room is inappropriate for this clientele, who requires “a lot of care”. “There are no toilets. We put in a mobile sink with a pedal, but there is no hot water. The dignity of patients is compromised. » She deplores that the room is lit by “big lights” on the ceiling, which prevents residents from resting when they want. She adds that users only have a counter bell to ask a nurse for help.
“In our opinion, there needs to be additional staff,” says Julie Daignault. This obviously needs to be done differently very quickly. The overload must be reduced so that we can reduce the stress of our members, because they are also afraid for their license [de l’Ordre des infirmières et infirmiers du Québec], not doing all the care adequately. »
“High traffic” in hospitals
Questioned on this subject, the CISSS des Laurentides indicates that it has “experienced high traffic in its hospitals” for several weeks. As of September 22, 14.11% of hospitalized patients no longer required hospital care, according to online data from the Ministry of Health and Social Services. The ministerial target is 8%.
The CISSS explains that “a temporary accommodation environment” has been set up at the CHSLD of Sainte-Adèle “in order to accommodate people who no longer require hospital care, but who are waiting for a permanent place in accommodation “. The multifunctional room was therefore divided so that the eight residents were installed in two “rooms” of four.
According to the CISSS, users will stay there “temporarily, while waiting for a permanent place in accommodation”. “Two resources exclusively [consacrées] to these eight residents are on site permanently, i.e. attendant and auxiliary nurse (day and evening) and attendant and nurse (night),” we write.
The CISSS adds that removable screens were used before the installation of the dividing curtains. Portable sinks have also been installed in the rooms. A toilet room, “accessible at all times”, is also located “near” the room. “However, due to the risk linked to multi-resistant bacteria in several of these residents, on the recommendation of the Infection Prevention and Control Department, and as a preventative measure, commode chairs for individual use were installed next to each bed », we specify.
The duty asked the CISSS des Laurentides how long these residents will remain in the multifunctional room. The health establishment has not provided a date.
The Dr Pelletier fears that this temporary measure will last. In August 2022, eight seniors from the hospital were installed, two by two, in four unoccupied CHSLD apartments which were to be used to accommodate families. “It was supposed to be transitory,” the doctor said. Soon after, it became long-term rooms. » These accommodations are better suited than the multifunctional room, he concedes. “It’s still semi-adequate. There is one bathroom per bedroom. It’s better installed. »
The head of the medical service would like to emphasize that the teams on the ground are working “hard” to offer “the best care” possible in the circumstances. He continues to hope that this CISSS solution will be temporary and that residents will soon be able to meet again in their multifunctional room to do activities.