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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1964-02-20, Page 3R 4 MURRAY GAUNT, M,P.P. Urges Broader Insurance coverage (The following is partial text of a speech by Murray Gaunt, M.P.P. of Huron -Bruce, in re- ply to the Speech from the Throne), I would like to break slightly with tradition and embark im- mediately into what I have to say. I want to deal with a subject that I feel deserves serious at- tention on the part of govern- ment. My colleague from Bruce pointed out to the govern- ment in a very dramatic fash- ion that it has no right to raise taxes without first bringing some economy and economic plan- ning into the running of the pro- vince's business, With that I would heartily agree. On a number of occasions the remark has been made from rhe benches opposite that we in the opposition certainly know how to criticize but criticizing for criticism's sake is a very easy thing. The hard part, af- ter having critieized, is propos- ing a solution. Frankly, I think our party has been rather adept in both fields. The only problem we have is in getting the government to move in implementing these suggestions and proposals. They seem rath- er reluctant to do so in most cases. However, if the government genuinely wishes to save the taxpayer's money by re -assess- ing various aspects and oper- ations of the various depart- ments, I am sure that they would welcome any suggestions to those ends. One matter which has been brought to my attention repeat- edly by a number of my con- stituents is the fact that they feel Ontario Hospital Services Commission should be extended to cover chronic patients in nursing homes. That is a very broad statement and demands elaboration. However, after further study, I find as far as I am concerned, that contention completely justified. What is the situation now? According to my information, there are roughly 400 licensed private nursing homes in the province of Ontario. These nursing homes come entirely under the jurisdiction of the municipality where they are lo- cated. The municipality sets its standards and the nursing homes within that municipality axe required to come up to VISIT YOUR ELECTRIC HEATING INFORMATION CENTRE OTARJO IIYDRO WINGHAM PHONE 357-2810 TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE WINTER SALE PRICES NOW IN EFFECT ON HAYES QUALITY MERCHANDISE. Budget loving savings are yours as Hayes makes room for their Spring stock! Look over the CLOTHING BULLETIN coming to you in the mail! It's loaded with sensational Clothing Buys! Prices slashed to the bone on RUBBER FOOTWEAR! You can't afford to have wet feet at these low prices! HAYES FAMILY CLOTHING JOSEPHINE STREET PHONE 357-1700 "IT PAYS TO SHOP AT HAYES" these regulations. Having done so, the nursing homes in that municipality are granted a lic- ense. These regulations are very general in nature, setting a standard, and sometimes a rather low standard, for sani= talion and fire protection. As a result, every municipality has different rules and regulations governing nursing homes within its jurisdiction. In a few cases, counties have had the foresight to estab- lish basic standards and the municipalities within the coun- ties are free to impose addition- al requirements if it is deemed advisable. Notwithstanding this, the entire field of licensing nursing homes is a dilemma second on- ly to the hodgepodge situation in the textbook field created by the Department of Education. There is absolutely no uniform- ity, Uniformity is needed. The province has roughly 400 licensed, privately -owned nursing homes. Of these 43 are approved temporarily by Ontar- io Hospital Services Commis- sion, usually for the duration of a year, to help alleviate the chronic bed situation in public hospitals where the problem has become acute. In these cases, Ontario Hospital Services Com- mission pays for the keep of the chronic patient on being re- moved from :he hospital to an approved nursing home. How- ever if the situation rectifies itself and the hospital is able once again to handle all the chronic patients, the temporary Ontario Hospital Services Com- mission approval to the nursing home is withdrawn. Many times, members have pleaded in this house that ad- ditional capital is needed for hospital construction and I am entirely in sympathy with them, but failing this, would it not be good business on the part of the government to extend O.H.S.C. to private nursing homes in or- der that the many chronic pa- tients who require only caree and supervision be removed from the hospitals altogether and placed in private nursing homes? It is felt, and rightly so, that the community through the government, is morally respon- sible for the maintenance of our aged citizens due to their inability through inadequate means to provide this mainten- ance at a proper level for them- selves. This responsibility is discharged by private nursing homes, county homes for the aged and charitable institu- tions. Indeed the growth of county homes for the aged across the province is indicative of the concern the community places on the proper care and treat- ment or our elderly citizens. However, I feel that the solicit- ing oliciting of and admission to county homes of persons with adequate and more than adequate means to care for themselves, thereby depriving some of our aged people without these means of care in the county homes for the aged is in direct contradic- tion of the principle behind the establishment of such homes for our needy older citizens, It is apparent that after inany of these homes for the aged were built people with adequate means were solicited to assure that the county homes were fill- ed_to capacity to justify their very existence. Frankly 1 feel that the admission to the county homes of persons with adequate means and the subsequent de- privation of accommodation for others less fortunate is one of the contributing factors to the alleged need for mote el this type of accommodation, there- by putting an added, unneces- sary tax burden on the rax -pay- ing public. One recent illustration of this was quoted in the Wingham Advance -Times dated Thursday, January 20. It says "The need for a provincially approved nursing home or a chronic wing in this area was so nureh to the fore in discussion last Thursday that action in one form or an- other may reasonably he ex- pected. An early step will he consultation with provincial of- ficials on the problern. "We are deeply concerned for the future of man; a senior citizen in Huron," said Reeve Clifford Dunbar of Carey, pre- senting the report of lluronview Board. The home is running practically at capacity and we are not geared to take care of chronic patients. We are await- ing waiting instructions as to our meet- ing with officials of welfare and health departments to study this problem. "At no time in the history of Huronview since I have been there, " said Superintendent Har- vey Johnston, have there been so many people enquiring and waiting to get in." Chairman Dunbar said, "As regards chron- ic patients, we are nor geared to take care of them, but when there is no place else, we have to tae them. Mrs. Bernard Henderson of Kincardine, who until a year ago conducted a hospital ap- proved nursing home there, told council that no privately ad- ministered home could compere with the per diem cost of $3.75 mentioned by Mr. Johnston. Confirming her understanding that about half the Huronview residents are self -paying, Mrs. Henderson said, "Even if you had a nursing home in Goderich. nobody would go there when the lluronview rate is 53.75." Published the same day was a report of a board meeting of Alexandra Marine and General Hospital in Goderich at which chairman S. Prevett said there was an obvious need for a nurs- ing home in Goderich. Pro- vincial authorities had asked the board to reduce the num- ber of beds for chronic patients. Here we have a very interest- ing situation. On one hand, Goderich hospital board is be- ing told by the government to reduce the number of beds for chronic patients; the chairman of the county home board says our problems continue to grow as our resident total begins to get beyond capacity and con- cludes by saying that the coun- ty home is not geared to take care of chronic patients but when there is no place else we have to take them. On the other hand, Mrs, Bernard Henderson who recently conducted a hospital approved nursing home told the council that no privately administered home could compete with the per diem cost of 53, 75, Mrs. Henderson pinpointed the prob- lem when she said, "Even if you, had a nursing home in Goderich, nobody would go there when the Huronview rate is $3.75, The reason the rate is 53.'15 is he - cause county homes for the aged are subsidized by the gov- ernment and therefore do not reflect the true actual cost of this care. It is obvious that private nursing homes or private industry if you will, cannot compete successfully against an enterprise which is subsidized by the taxpayer. Thus it is a ludicrous situation where a sel- ected few are having their tax dollars used to put them our of business. All this has develop- ed and has nurtured despite the fact that the government prides itself in the image of grand- father to private industry. The Prime Minister speaks in glowing terms about his gov- ernment believing in the Phil- osophy that people should not be socialized to the extent that whatever they have is taken from them by the state and handed bac, by a bureaucrat whether, in fact, they want it or not. What I'm saying is wherever true and actual costs are not charged to residents of county homes who have adequate means for self support, the tax- paying public is being called upon to subsidize the daily care of persons who, in many cases, are in a superior financial po- sition to the tax -payer. The unfortunate thing about this is that people with means often unwittingly deprive our needy citizens of care. At the $3.'75 a day rate charged at Huronview in Clin- ton, municipalities would con- sider it financially good busin- ess to send a dependant of the municipality to the county home for the aged rather than to a private nursing home where they charge on the average $5.00. The municipality is re- imbursed 805o of the cost with the remaining 20% being borne by the municipality. Compar- ing the 53.75 rate of county homes and the 55.00 a day rate of private nursing homes it means a saving of 57.30 per month to the municipality if the person is admitted to the county home rather than a pri- vate nursing home. In view of what I have said I would like to make several proposals to the government for their consideration: 1. The government should standardize the rules and regu- lations governing nursing homes across the province. Those who meet the standards would he licensed by the province and those failing to do so would be refused a license. This, of course, would require inspec- tion and perhaps this could be clone by the county officer of health. 2. Extend O.II.S.C. to the provincially licensed private nursing homes to cover indig- ents and chronics who require only care and supervision. This particular point must he under- lined because the greatest care must be taken not to turn pri- vate nursing homes into hospi- Wingham Advance -Times, Thursday, Feb. 20, 1904 -- Page 3 LA !MET Brian Schaefer Earns Scholarship Brian Schaefer, son of Mr, and Mrs, Carl Schaefer of Tees - water, received word last week that he has been awarded a Uni- versity of Waterloo Tuition Scholarship consisting of free tuition and fees for the coming term, along with the title of "University Scholar". Brian is in Second Year En- gineering, and the awardcomes for final examination results in Terni A, in which he totalled mars of 80 percent. Under the Second Year En- gineering plan, a student studies for four months, then works four.. Brian is presently in the latter category and is employed in Montreal -- Teeswater News. tats, because nursing homes have neither the equipment nor the staff to do the work of a hospital. This is a very real problem and one which cannot be treated lightly. However, if care is taken to cover only those who require care and sup- ervision then the problem 1 am sure will be overcome. This would have the happy effect of releasing some badly needed hospital beds that are now occu- pied by chronics and it would also help to alleviate the over- crowding and long waiting lists at county Homes which event- ually necessitate the building Mr. and Mrs. Ervin Dickert attended the celebration of the fiftieth wedding anniversary of Mr. and Mrs, George Klein of Clifford on Sunday. Mr, and Mrs, Redmond Mc- Donald and family of Wingham visited with Mr. and Mrs. Ar- nold Gadke on Saturday. Belgrave Reeve Stewart Procter at- tended the County Executive Ploughmens Association meet- ing held on Tuesday, at the King Edward Hotel in Toronto. of additions to these structures. At the end of 190 there were 203 private and public hospi- tals in Ontario with approxi- mately 6, 3r;5 chronic beds. This whole matter has econ- omy overtones because really what I am saying and perhaps saying rather badly is -- let's re -appraise the health and care needs of the older and ailing residents of this province with the idea of =King the best possible use of all existing fac- ilities. Then and only then can we consciously embark on an expansion program of those facilities which involves the expenditure of huge sums of public money. I feel this sub- ject is of sufficient importance to deserve due consideration by the house, Ordinarily your eyes transmit information to the brain at the rate of 30 to 40 pictures a second. In driving, the picture changes every split second. Your eyes must shift positions every two seconds to avoid a blank stare, a situation where the mind stops receiving the picture you are looking at. A RUNNING LIGHT, attached to the grill of the car, which shines while the ignition is on, attracts the eye and gives warning of clanger ahead. 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