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Families of loved ones living at a Quebec seniors' residence are speaking up after service fees were increased recently.
The families of some residents at Chateau Pierrefonds are speaking out after they received notices of major service hikes to their loved ones’ upcoming leases.
Mario Di Carlo, whose 95-year-old mother has lived at Chateau Pierrefonds for the last four years, said he was shocked when he found out his mother would have to pay an extra $1,500 per month, making her total lease price $5,840. In the letter, obtained by CTV News, Di Carlo, who has power of attorney, is told that a reassessment using the government’s SMAF tool, or Functional Autonomy Measurement System, had found his mother had increased needs across all areas of the activities of daily living .
But Di Carlo said his mother only requires some help getting dressed and with personal hygiene and care, and her condition has remained stable over the last year.
“She walks on her own, she eats on her own, she’s independent,” he said. “She can sit for hours and talk to people. ” The assessment for Marie Petrossian’s 90-year-old mother, who lives with dementia, was even higher, at $4,500 extra per month.
“We did ask them to at least give us, you know, a breakdown of each service and what the augmentations are and what the reasoning behind it is,” she said, “And they never did. They just told us we have to pay $4,500 more. ” Both Petrossian and Di Carlo said they were never informed of, nor consented to an assessment of their mothers. They also dispute the findings.
Di Carlo said his mother only speaks Italian, and he often has to act as a translator between her and the staff. He said she would not have been able to answer questions posed during an assessment. Lawyer Manuel Johnson said consent is a key issue.
“Those increased services also have to be consented to. They can be offered, but they cannot be imposed,” he said. He said seniors’ homes, or RPAs, must maintain the same services and rent during the whole term of the lease.
“The assessments or change in services, they have to be expressly consented to by the residents or their legal representatives if they have a power of attorney. ” Sebastien Barrette, president of Gestion BBT, which purchased Chateau Pierrefonds last November, said the current leases permit assessments, but he regretted how the issue was communicated to families.
“The assessment is done over a long time,” he said. “So, we communicated the results with the family, but we should have informed them better even though we had the authorization. ” Barrette said the increases are necessary to hire more staff.
“We want to make sure that we can support financially the extra staff we’re going to bring on to make sure that we provide the proper care and, assistance required by those residents. ” He said if the needs are above what they can provide, or what residents can afford, they have the option of moving to the public system. Ahmed Chetioui, director of Chateau Pierrefonds, said they are trying to help families with the increases.
“When the cost exceeds a significant amount, we discuss it with the resident. We can come up with a discounted rate that allows us to care for the resident and pay our staff, while enabling the resident to stay with us,” he said. Chetioui added he offered to reduce the amount of Di Carlo’s mother’s assessment to $1,040 per month. Di Carlo, meanwhile, said he is fighting the increase.
Along with other affected residents, he has met with the Quebec Ombudsman and their local health authority. They are also looking at legal options. “We’re really at a loss,” he said.
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