Almost a third of seniors questioned about their home-support services say they would like help with housekeeping, and 12 per cent say they need help with meal preparation, according to a survey conducted by the B.C. Seniors’ Advocate.
The findings were in a report released Monday by advocate Isobel Mackenzie’s Office of the Seniors Advocate. It sent surveys to B.C.’s 17,500 home-support clients, and received about 10,000 replies.
While 62 per cent of respondents said they were generally satisfied with the support they were receiving, Mackenzie said there are areas that need improvement.
She said one area of concern was the high turnover of home workers, along with concerns about their training. Almost one-third of survey respondents said there were too many substitute workers being sent to their homes.
Just 47 per cent of respondents felt their workers had the skills necessary to provide good care. But an overwhelming percentage (92 per cent) reported their workers were almost always caring and respectful.
“The need for more services, particularly housekeeping services, is also an important message that warrants a more focused exploration, as is the need to make improvements in the skills and training of home-support workers,” the report states.
Another area of concern centred around understanding of the medications seniors were taking and their side effects.
“A keen interest of this office is the use of medications among seniors,” Mackenzie said in the report.
“While there was some encouraging news on the number of seniors who reported knowing what medications they are taking, we clearly have some distance to go to ensure seniors are aware of why they are taking the medications and what the side effects could be.”
Almost all those surveyed were taking medication, but 12 per cent did not know the number of medications they are taking and 19 per cent were not aware of the side effects of any of their medications. A further 33 per cent were aware of some side effects.
“Respondents who indicate knowing none of the side effects of their medications tend to be older, with more cognitive impairment, and have greater difficulty managing their medications. In addition, 55 per cent of them do not co-reside with a primary caregiver,” the report stated.
Mackenzie said a comprehensive review of the home support system is expected to be released this fall.
