Missing beds

Paul Huras, CEO of the South East LHIN speaks at a POOCH public meeting in February.

County asks for the return of 78 long-term care beds

It has been three years since the Picton Manor was closed and its residents relocated— many outside the County. At the time, Paul Huras, head of the South East Local Health Integration Network (LHIN), said it was a temporary solution. He said his organization was working to keep the 78 beds allotted to Picton Manor—and the jobs—in the County.

“We are doing everything we can to ensure that these 78 beds are renewed in a different way and hopefully we will rebuild this capacity,” said Huras in June 2012.

Three years later, those beds have not yet been replaced. The need, however, has not diminished. In 2001, the County was already one of the oldest communities in the country, with a median age of 44. By 2011 it had risen to 51. Fully a quarter of the County’s population is 65 or older.

The municipality wants those beds returned to the County. Later this week, council will consider a formal request to expand the HJ McFarland Memorial Home by 78 beds.

According to a report prepared by staff, increasing the capacity at McFarland will enable the facility to maximize its funding and operate more efficiently, capturing greater economies of scale. It also notes that McFarland is due for redevelopment by 2025—that a commitment to expanding this facility would fold neatly into this planning.

The report notes that the average size of a long term care home in the South East LHIN is 194 beds, while McFarland has just 84 beds—which hinders its ability to achieve efficiency savings.

The report also underlines the acute demographic challenge facing this community. The population of those aged 75 and over in the County is expected to grow by 28 per cent between 2014 and 2021—while the total population of the LHIN is expected to grow by just 24 per cent. The County is where the need is greatest.

Paul Huras is less clear in 2015 than when the beds left in 2012. He says the challenge will be determining if Prince Edward County is the location of the greatest need.

Since 2012, the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care has adjusted it’s thinking regarding the allocation of long-term care beds. Need is determined less by demographics and more by absolute population growth. So fastgrowing regions outrank the comparatively slower growing rural communities such as the County.

While the County may have a greater proportion of its population older than 75, communities such as Durham will have far more folks in this age category, even if it is a lower percentage of the overall population.

But other communities haven’t lost 78 long-term care beds—doesn’t that make the case for expanding McFarland more compelling?

Not necessarily, says Huras.

“What we look at is the number of beds in an area per the population aged 75 and older,” says Huras.

The County has its share of older folks, but perhaps not enough. Ultimately, the decision may be a political one, which is why expanding McFarland’s capacity is being raised at council this week. It’s likely to become a louder call in the coming weeks and months.

Otherwise, we face the prospect of our twilight years spent far from home.