Duncan resident Tina Lamb says she was appalled at the care the residents were receiving at Sunridge Place when she went to visit her grandmother at the assisted living facility. Lamb posted her experience to Facebook this week. She says since posting, she has heard similar horror stories, and received a lot of support.Â
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 Lamb explained, “For about six hours, I watched people sit in their chairs, not asked if they need to use the bathroom. These nurses, I get they are overworked and they are trying to the best of their ability but it’s not good enough. When you talk to licencing they can’t give you a staffing ratio. They say once care is being provided but, the concern is, the care isn’t being provided.”Â
VP of Operations at Park Place Seniors Living Ian West says Sunridge Place is fully staffed, and meets provincial standards. West says “there has been an increase in the care aide staff and that funding came from the amount of professional staffing, in this case the LPN’S. We are now in line with other care homes, not only on the island, but throughout the province in providing 80-percent of non-professional care and 20-percent professional care.”  He says the ratio of staff to residents at the home varies depending on the level of care needed.Â
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Spokesperson for the Hospital Employees Union Patty Gibson says they are investigating claims of understaffing.Â
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Gibson says this problem is province-wide and not unique to Sunridge Place. She says the government is not providing enough funding to provide the care recommended by government guidelines. She says HEU is pushing for legislation for minimum staffing requirements, in order to properly care for our seniors.
All three parties recommend properly documenting any issues and going to licencing and the health authority if you have any issues with care at an assisted living facility.Â
