There are 152 cases of the most severe type of bedsores in Nova Scotia’s long-term-care homes.
The province released the number of stage 3and stage 4 bedsores, also known as pressureinjuries, Thursday while promising to introducemeasures aimed at combating the problem. Stage 3 is where there is a hole opening in the flesh into the fat tissue. Stage 4 is where the wound is so deep the muscle or bone is exposed.
“Wound care experts are now being identified and, starting the first week of July, will visit these facilities to assess those residents,” said a Health Department news release.
“Any residents at these facilities with stage one and two injuries will also be seen. The expertswill also work with staff to ensure the knowledge and supplies are in place to properly prevent and treat these injuries, and recommend individual wound management plans.”
The Health Department told The Chronicle Herald on Thursday afternoon that a preliminary count found 439 bedsores in
he stage 1 and 2 categories. There were 227 diagnosed as stage 1 and 212 as stage 2.
“This information is being reviewed and verified so that number could change,” spokeswoman Tracy Barron said in an email, noting the numbers are based on an occupancy of 6,847 beds in the province’s 92 licensed nursing homes.
Stage 1 bedsores, the mildest form, appear as discoloration in the upper layers of skin and cause pain, burning and itching. In stage 2, there is a shallow but painful open wound or a pus-filled blister.
There have been many complaints about bedsores in Nova Scotia’s long-term-care homes.
Last week, Halifax Regional Police announced they are conducting a rare criminal negligence investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of a 40-year-old woman who died after developing a severely infected bedsore while living in a nursing home.
Chrissy Dunnington was a resident of Shannex Inc.’s Parkstone Enhanced Care for 15 months before she was rushed to hospital this past January with an infected bedsore — also known as a pressure ulcer — on her tailbone “the size of a fist and three centimetres deep,” according to her sister, Elizabeth Deveau.
The Stage 4 wound had gone septic, causing pneumonia, and Chrissy remained in intensive care for several weeks before she passed away in March.
Earlier this month, for the first time, the HealthDepartment began requiring all long-term-care homes to report the current rate of occurrence for bedsores or pressure injuries. There were five bedsore complaints from families
under the Protection of Persons in Care Act last year, and two deaths in the past seven months attributed to bedsores that became severely infected.
On Thursday, the province promised to adopt new wound care standards that will be shared with facilities next week. “The department will be working with a national wound care expert to review the standard,” said the news release.
The province is also gathering information “for long-term-care facilities to assist in the prevention and management of pressure wounds, including how to identify the stages,” said the release. “The information collected by the department is being analyzed to determine next steps.”
Liberals have been on the hot seat as stories about deadly bedsores came to light in a series of stories in The Chronicle Herald.
“We are committed to taking steps to ensure residents in longterm- care facilities are getting the best care possible,” Health and Wellness Minister Randy Delorey said in the news release.
“These actions are about supporting dedicated staff and giving facilities the tools and information they need to address pressure injuries.”
Meanwhile, the Nova Scotia Nurses’ Union released draft legislation Thursday aimed at boosting the hours of care in nursing homes across the province.
“If passed, the new standards would ensure long-term-care facilities provide higher levels of licensed staffing,” said a release from the union, which called the current situation in nursing homes “heart-wrenching.”
“The goal is to see an immediate improvement in quality of care, the health of residents and peace of mind for loved ones.”
Amendments to the Homes for Special Care Act would boost provincial funding to allow nursing homes to hire more staff, said nurses union president Janet Hazelton in an interview Thursday.
The province now cuts a cheque for 3.45 hours of care per patient in a 24-hour period for a particular nursing home, Hazelton explained. The union’s proposed legislation would increase that to 4.1 hours per patient.
Hazelton said enhanced home care means people are staying longer in their homes and therefore are older and less healthy when they come into the longterm- care system. That means the registered nurses and licensed practical nurses have a heavier workload per patient and as a result the overall level of care suffers.
“The nurses are so busy that the basic needs are being met but there’s very little time, if any, to do anything extra, to spend 10 to 15 minutes extra with a resident talking about whatever,” Hazelton said.
She couldn’t specify what the increase in per-patient hours would cost the province but said it would be in the millions each year.
“But our seniors, quite frankly, deserve it and have a right (to better care),” Hazelton said, adding that money would be saved in the long run because better daily care would reduce hospitalizations.
