A local health care advocacy group has released a concerning list of housing and health care problems for seniors in Sarnia.
Navigating Seniors Care Lambton (NSCL) and Community Legal Assistance Sarnia held public hearings in September 2017 to gather input.
Spokesman Roger Gallaway says respondents said the amount of care allotted by the Local Health Integration Network is totally inadequate, in some cases as little as 30 minutes a week.
"Those being discharged from the hospital to their home or a care facility are unaware of their rights," says Gallaway. "They're being told 'you've got to go and you've got to go now'. Patients have to understand they do have a choice. We also found staffing levels in care facilities are inadequate. This leads to unsafe conditions such as falling or even assaults by other residents."
Gallaway says more than 100 people contributed to the study.
"Often food served in long-term care facilities is inadequate," he says. "The food allowance for long-term care is $8.33 a day. The provincial prisoners rate is $9.73. I think that speaks a whole lot about the state of care for our seniors."
As well, Gallaway says local dollars are going to Windsor pharmacies because many local care facilities have granted exclusive prescription rights to pharmacies there instead of Sarnia.
NSCL has received a $10,000 provincial grant to proceed with its work. Gallaway says they will be reaching out to Lambton County to see where the system is weakest, to determine where the problems are in this area and who to go to to try to solve them.
Gallaway says a 2016 study for Sarnia Lambton Economic Partnership found 22% of Sarnia Lambton residents are 65 years of age or older, 5% higher than the provincial average.
