Private care ‘a dumping ground’ for people with disabilities

A Quebec government plan to ‘reform’ health and social services is having a devastating impact on the people who rely on them. The plan, called "Accent on Access", shifts care for people with developmental and physical disabilities from public institutions and community group homes to private homes.

One Montreal institution, the Garry Taylor Centre, was slated to close under the government scheme, but remains open after parents opposed moving their children to substandard privatized care.

"In the private homes, it’s one family who has these clients in their home 24 hours a day with no relief," says Tyrone Searles, an educator at the Garry Taylor Centre and CUPE 1841 member. "It’s a recipe for burnout."

"Already we’ve seen contractors who’ve broken their contracts and left. And when stressed-out contractors try to relieve the pressure by hiring backup or replacement staff, they’re hiring untrained and unqualified people at minimum wage. Yet the government is pushing clients into the private sector by closing centres like ours. That doesn’t provide the stability our clients need."

Parents share the caregivers’ concerns. "There’s more staff around at Garry Taylor," says Sheila Timm, whose 37-year old son Douglas has been in public centres since 1972. Douglas is severely developmentally-delayed and needs constant attention.

"They know my son and his needs. There’s lots of space and a yard. It’s a safe place. If staffers gets frustrated with a resident, there’s someone else to relieve them," she says.

That standard of care doesn’t exist in the private facilities, says Searles. "Shifting our clients into private care has a huge impact. In our facility, they are used to a certain level of care and autonomy. The private homes don’t provide anywhere near that level of service. We help clients to dress, to eat, to shop — to live their lives. We provide counselling, education and crisis intervention. People have a right to live in the community with the proper support. In the private homes, they’re basically left on their own. It’s a dumping ground. It’s not quality care."

For Jason Rankin, private care was a life-threatening experience. The 28-year old man has cerebral palsy. He uses a wheelchair and is non-verbal. When Garry Taylor Centre management told his parents the centre was closing, they assured the Rankins he would get proper care in a private home. Instead, he almost starved to death.

"They promised us two months integration of old and new staff, because Jason’s used to certain staff. That didn’t happen. My son’s form of protest was to refuse to eat," says Jason’s father Earl.

With Earl and his wife dealing with serious health problems themselves and unaware of the situation, Jason spent a month barely eating. He dropped from 67 pounds to 52.

"Out of the blue, I got a phone call saying my son needed a feeding tube immediately and he was in danger of starving to death," says Rankin.

After investigating, he discovered the new caregivers weren’t following a proper feeding routine. Avoiding a feeding tube, Jason began to eat again. Just as he was recovering, his caregiver quit.

"Our son’s better — but only because we’re on them all the time. And we have a lawyer. I’m retired. We’re all on fixed income. But Jason needs better care," says Rankin.

Private care diverts public funds away from quality care. Government welfare allowances allocated to public centres funded a wide range of resources that benefited all the clients. Now, those allowances are being funnelled into less accountable private homes.

"They can hire whoever they want in these private facilities," says Timm. "There’s no benefits, no pension, there’s nothing. Who are you going to get to work there? People are quitting because they can’t handle it."

There are still 14 residents at the Garry Taylor Centre. Their parents have launched a legal challenge to ensure that before their children are moved, they are guaranteed proper care.