Loading...
The Wingham Advance-Times, 1988-06-21, Page 5fl .77R 77: Countycouncil question efficiency of Huronview Huronview's efficiency in providing care for the elderly — compared to privately operated residences — was questioned by Huron County Council at its regular June meeting. Zurich Reeve Robert Fisher frig- - (Continued from Page 4A) • outnumbering the negatives by almost five to one. The special oc- casion permit will allow temporary dining lounge privileges which require the serving of food. ° Capt, Jack, Cameron and his wife -Jean, who for two years have been in charge of the Wingham Salvation Army Corps, were recently notified that they will be transferred to Burlington. They will be replaced by Auxiliary. Capt. and Mrs, Albert Merkin of Edmonton. Two new elders were ordained at • We morning service in Bluevale Presbyterian Church. They are J. J. Elliott and Larry Elliott. Gordon Mundell presented an individual communion set in memory of his parents, John and Annie Mundell and it was dedicated by Rev. Dennis Freeman, Mrs, Harvey Coupland was ap- pointed president of the Wroxeter Senior Citizens, with Alex Petrie as first vice-president and Mrs. Lil Gallaher as second vice-president. gered the- debate when he aime questions at Huronview Admini- strator Wayne Lester who was presenting council with the annual report for the county operated home for the aged. Mr. Fisher asked the administrator to explain why there is a difference of $300 between the monthly rate for someone staying in Huronview and the rate for the Blue Water Rest Home at Zurich. Mr. Lester said that although there is no question that the Blue Water home gives top quality care, it does not provide all of the activities which are available at Huronview, such as recreation. There are outings for Huronview residents, he said, which other homes do not provide because they don't have the staff. Colborne Township Reeve Russell Kernighan, however, wasn't satis- fied with the answer. He asked if there had been any surveys con- ducted to determine why there is such a difference in cost between Huronview and the ,snialler homes, adding that he deubts the cost difference boils down to just a dif- ference in small services. In most charitable homes, Mr. Lester said, there would not be many patients who require more than 2.5 hours of nursing or personal care. In his acuity rating, based on an average during 1987, 129 of the 284 residents at Huronview — more than 45 per cent — require more than 2.5 hours of care per day. This, he said in his report, means that Huronview is delivering more care than it is being paid for by the province under the extended care d rating. He said he feels there shou be special funding for providin heavy extended care. "If it is the desire of council that Huronview operate (by providing) only the amount of -care that extended care provides for, then as soon as somebody gets to 2.5 hours of care, we would be putting them in a hospital," he told Mr. Kernighan, Mr. Lester also challenged council to ask the charitable homes how many of their patients are in the heavy extended care range. Municipal nursing homes are the only mechanism in Ontario which provides the kind of service required by people -needing extra care, he said. Reader says downtown facelift is long overdue Dear Editor: I would like to add my comments to those of D. M. Cornwall (Letters to the editor - May 31, 1988). I think most of the downtown section of Wingham is long overdue for a facelift. It is time the town council, merchants and business- men along the main street took a look at the likes of the business sections of Walkerton and Hanover. I'm sure we could do just as well as these two towns have. My other beef is about the in- terlocking bricks flanking our a sloping sidewalks downtown. The bricks are faded, sinking and in 1 many places, full of weeds. If this H isn't going to be properly looked m after, why bother installing it in the first place? Come on Wingham, let's get D beautiful! Id g Although Huron County has the best home care system in Ontario, h_ _ eipm peop e to stay m their homes as long as possible, that also means that when people finally come into Huronview they require 24-hour nursing care. In the future, he said, the bill for this care will skyrocket, although the length of stay of the typical patient will shorten. - Mr. Fisher, however, wasn't ready to concede that Huronview has more difficult cases., More than half the -residents of Blue -Water, he said, need two to four hours of care daily. Hullett Township Reeve Tom Cunningham alai joined the sceptics and claimed that privately -owned homes tend to look after the dollars better. "If your livelihood was on the line, costs might be kept down." In that situation an administrator might be more reluctant to hire staff, Mr. Cunningham said. "We have to become efficient the way private industry becomes efficient." Stanley Township Reeve Clarence Rau came to Mr. Lester's defence. 'The decision has to be taken here s to what services you want to rovide," he said. "If you want ower services, you can cut costs, e's doing a good job with the oney he has." Goderi0 Deputy Reeve John oherty wandered bow much more taff had been hired and why there d not been a big increase in staff if ere were a lot more work. Mr. ester replied that Huronview is still Yours truly ha Glenda Agombar th ormer police chief wife operating at the 1984 staff level. support Wingham Library Fuller: a member of the Huronview 5 a Exeter Deputy Reeve Lossy Dear Editor: My wife and I are pleased that we are able to assist the Wingham Library Building Fund with the en- closed cheques from each of us. We, of course, have many fond memories of the many good friends who were so kind to us during the years that we lived in Wingham. Sorry to have to admit that we did not get to Wingham during the past year, Although I still have -a driver's licence, we seldom drive very far away frorn Orangeville, as we lost a good car in a tornado and bought an older model which is only Used for local shopping and sueh." I am in my 85th year and in fairly good health, so have much to be thankful for, but Myrtle, my wife — although ten years younger than 1— has been having health problems recently. Kindest regards to Jim and Audrey Currie and all others involved in the Wingham Library Building Project. All members of our family send very best wishes for continued success. Sincerely T, W. "Bert" Platt -Oran eVill committee, said the committee has been saying "no, no, no" to in- creases at Huronview for the last three years. "I think (Mr. Lester) is doing a good job." The occupancy report for the year seems to back up the observation that incoming residents require more cam Residential care beds were full 84.68 per cent of the time, while the extended care beds were full 97.64 per cent of the time. The report also shows that 45 per cent Of the revenue of the home came from residents, 48 per cent from the province and seven per Cent from the-connty: Tail *venue - The - .ininiatr3r of 'education will eonduet reviews in reading and triathentatica for Grade 0 students during, the 1988-89 school year. This effort Will enable the ministry T to asse,ssthe effectiveness with which progranis .are'" being - taught 'in Ontario classicia. The reviews will be carried out at 100 English-langtiage and 100 French -language schools and will be publicly available in December 1989. In making, the s tateinen t, Education Minister Chris Ward stressed that the reviews are not designed as — or intended to became — a mechanism for comparing the performance of student against student, school against school, or board against board. Nor do they represent a return to the province - wide standardized testing, a system discarded by Ontario in 1967. The Provincial Review process is a key part of the goverrunent's commitment to make our system of education more accountable to the public and is intended to provide parents, students and educators of Ontario with a clear evaluation of how well our system of:education performing and how effeetytlyit is meeting -the demands we creaTa ref' it. Important Initiatives Polygraph or lie detector tests will no longer be permitted when questioning victims of sexual assault. The -directive issued by Solicitor General Siam Smith.* one of two important initiatives intended to reduce the trauma of women who have been sexually assaulted. Mrs. Smith has also announced that her ministry will encourage police forces across the province to develop expertise among officers in dealing with cases of sexual assault. The solicitor general recognized that most police forces across the province do not have sufficient resources to appoint a full-time co- ° f ordina tor. She emphasized, however, that it should be possible for most Ontario police forces to develop a degree of expertise in sexual assault cases. Because of the number of sexual g assault cases in all parts of the province, we should have police f' • officers in place who, know. sexuai assault and its impact .on Victims- who could •evnlire into specialists on the crime.. - Q: the topic of polygraphs whit Canadian courts will not permit . as evidence —.the solicitor general stated that many Women may, and Often do- wrongly'blaine theinselves when y,are sexu assaiiited, although have nothing to: provoke an attac passibility of inaccurate Con ally done diens by Ihe_felirgraPh, nperati*ce# hi drarnaticallyinagnifiedd' _ Act A -Mended '- Addressing :the need to•strike a fair balance in Ontario's trespassing ' - laws, Attorney General Ian Scott has introduced fheTrespa,ss to Property Amendment Act for 'first reading in the legislature. • The act is a response' to the recommendation of a task: force report which considered Ontario's ' Trespass to Property Act as it relates to private property such as malls and fairgrounds, generally open to the public... The task farce taCkl tne,:4ry - difficult "ciiiestiOn of '&4 to efine.the rights °iv-the:306116'4i* iettiebt Alie-use:Ofifyzikiniii--Wiiiiesr • to designed ' Trespass to Property Act •Inurthe potential to be used, and .was oc- casionally being used as a means of discriminating against young people and those who iooked or acted dif- krit.PY, ttoney meiral iient that the wed Win correct that situation while still allowing property owners to protect themselves, their customer* and tenants against inappropriate behavior. Mr. Scott believes .the tilt is balanced, ,ft •Ahose-whorown faCilities of this type, g -to,. protect themselves and other users, but it also protects those whose only of- ense, as it were, is to be young or a member of a visible minority. Grants to Riding I have recently been notified by my colleague, Health Minister Elinor Caplan, of a $103,858 capital rant to Wingham and District Hospital for new windows in the acility. • Hospital issues reminder on • extended coverage policy The Wingham and District Hos- is therefore a private matter pital is againreminding the public between each subscriber and the that patients are responsible for all earlier, the notice adds, charges not covered by the Ontario In a notice to patients, the hospital points out that on Nov. 1, 1982, at plowing match Health Insurance Plan (011IP). El I Its featured 0 hospital it could no longer invoice ntario Blue. Cross infOrmed the If quilts are your thing, the 1 • nternational Plowing Match and the insurance company on behalf of Farm Machinery Show has planned a patient for semi -private and just theright summer treat. private coverage. Specifically, it's the Family Life - Since that date, Bjue Cross styles Division of the host Perth Subscribers have been required to County committee that has or - pay the hospital directly and then ganized a three-day quilt show for receive their reimbursement from mid-July. Ontario Blue Cross. "Patches of Perth" will be staged Ontario Blue .Cross is not unique, at the Kiwanis Community Centre in the no *ce says. Semi -private and Stratford July 15-17. For the first two private subscribers to other plans days the hours will be 10 a.m. to 8 Green Shield, Canada Life, Con- p.m. and on the final, the Centre will federation Life, Empire Life, Ex- be open from 10 am to 4 p.m. celsior Life, Great West Life, There are three competitim cate- London Life, Mutual Life, Sun Life, gories, namely wall hanging, ele- and Workers' CoMpensation are all mentary school children from Perth affected in the same way. and the five adjoining counties, and Many of These companies — as block work from a kit. Thehlock en. well as Blue Cross — have different tries will be made into a lull quift plans for subscribers within that and d g tf, fit. in 1 7 was $5,775,/311, company's coverage and coverage raising draw. use as the prize in tije hind,