British Columbians in residential care will now be better protected, safer and healthier as a result of strengthened regulations under the Community Care and Assisted Living Act (CCALA), Healthy Living and Sport Minister Mary Polak announced today. "We all want our loved ones to receive the best possible care," said Polak. "This new and modern regulation is part of our ongoing work to build the best system of support in Canada for persons with disabilities, those with special needs, children at risk and seniors."
Under the new regulation, licensees will have increased accountability in the areas of hiring practices, record keeping, incident reporting, staff orientation, performance reviews and emergency preparedness planning. Additionally, facility policies and procedures will be available to families and short-term care plans will now be done for short stays of 30 days or less and longer, more comprehensive plans completed for long stay residents.
The new regulation also establishes new protections for persons in care, including fall prevention measures, assessment of the risk of wandering, banning smoking by staff on the premises of care facilities, and strengthening health and hygiene to prevent communicable disease. Each of these measures has a tangible effect on the overall health and well-being of the individual in care.
The new regulation pulls together a number of residential requirements that have until now been under two sets of regulations. There is now one residential care regulation that applies to adults, children and youth, community living, mental health and addictions, long-term care, acquired disability, and hospice.
"We are pleased to see that the regulation includes increased measures to prevent falls in residential care facilities," said Dr. Vicky Scott, clinical associate professor at the UBC School of Population and Public Health. "Falls continue to represent one of the leading causes of injury for people over the age of 65 and additional protections for older persons in care can mean a significant reduction in the number of falls."
"The new regulation includes important protections for seniors who are at risk of wandering, which we welcome," said Susan House, executive director of the Denominational Health Association. "When a senior is at risk of wandering, our first priority is to have the appropriate plan in place for their safety and security."
The regulation comes as a result of full consultation with members of the public, care providers, external stakeholders and other government ministries. It will be effective as of Oct. 1, 2009, providing ample time for training to take place before compliance is expected.
For more information on the Residential Care Regulation, please visit: www.hls.gov.bc.ca/ccf/index.html
