The Butterfly Effect

There are over 78,000 people living in one of 630 long-term care homes in Ontario. These homes are controlled by more than 300 regulations that keep staff focused on the tasks of feeding, scheduling, and cleaning, all documented for government collection. Every day, at least 60 minutes is spent by staff filing ministry updates. They tap icons for mood, mobility, meals, bowel movements but there are no icons for laughter, conversation, human touch or sense of purpose.  It is a detached, antiseptic end to life which some have called a culture of malignancy.

A long-term care home in Peel has moved away from a traditional model of care and took a gamble on fun, kindness and affection. It is Malton Village in Mississauga and they are focusing on laughter, friendship, energy, tenderness, freedom and hope. That is not to say that they are not meeting the Ministry regulations. They are doing that but in a different model of care. In a recent article in the Toronto Star, we read about Bill, a resident, who has been kicked out of multiple long-term care homes because of violent tendencies, until he arrived in a Butterfly home. He became docile, enjoyed his days and staff came to know him as a “lovely man”. Or there is the dietary aide who helps Roger with his dessert. She talks to him about her childhood memories visiting peach groves and before you know it, Roger has eaten all of his dessert. Read more here from a recent article called Crisis of Care, The Toronto Star, February 7, 2021: The Fix: Part 1: Republished from 2018).

Do we want our seniors to live out their days in long-term care homes that dehumanize their existence? We can help to change this by transforming our long-term care homes into innovative models of care such as the Butterfly model of care. Please support Transformative Culture Change in Ontario’s Long-Term Care Homes by sending an email to info@LTCcommission-CommissionSLD.ca or to your local MPP  https://www.ola.org/en/members/current.

#ChangeLTCNow!