Long term care strategy released

A report on long term health care facilities in Nova Scotia has resulted in a long list of recommendations for the province to improve care for the aging population.

The report, released on Tuesday, highlights the need to improve both resident care in the facilities, and better support for the workers at long term care facilities.

With staffing, the report stated levels are is too low at most facilities to support vacations and injuries, and recommended bolstering the work force with temporary workers. In the long term, the report recommends investing in Continuing Care Assistance education and retention efforts.

Three of the five recommendations focused on boosting staff levels and training, while the remaining two focused on transitioning of patients and upgrading technology at long term care facilities.

The government said it would act on all recommendations of the report, and release details on a strategy after it had been reviewed further.

A copy of the panel’s recommendations is available online at, https://novascotia.ca/dhw/publications.asp