As long as the province continues to nickel-and-dime workers in nursing homes, the longer we’ll face a crisis situation in New Brunswick, according to a seniors advocate.
Cecile Cassista is executive director of the Coalition for Seniors and Nursing Home Residents’ Rights.
“We can’t continue to short-change the frontline workers. We need to compensate them well and make sure they have adequate wages so that they are actually giving quality care to our elderly.”
Cassista says she keeps hearing from families that seniors are not getting the care they need.
“I’m getting information from families that people are going 11 to 15 days and not having a bath… that’s unacceptable.”
She says a reduction of even one or two staff members in a home has an impact on the overall workload for the others.
Cassista adds creating a bank of employees to draw from could help when staffing levels get too low.
The New Brunswick Council of Nursing Home Unions has said the retention and recruitment of workers is now in a state of crisis which has resulted in critically low staffing levels at facilities across the province.
The organization has urged Premier Blaine Higgs to boost the wages of workers by $4 per hour.
