Jack, whose wife was a resident of Exendicare Kingston until her death last year, believes more funding for long-term care should result in hiring more people to assist people at meals and get them outside more often.

“My wife and I were very pleased with the care at Extendicare,” says Jack who spent several hours every day with his wife at the home.

One of the strengths of Extendicare Kingston is that the Catarqui Trail is right at the back door, Jack points out. A member of the family council, he is also an advocate for paving the gravel trail which is difficult to traverse in a wheelchair unless it is perfectly dry, he says. A paved trail would benefit everyone including residents of the home, he says.

“I got my wife outside every day in her wheelchair for a minimum of a half hour,” he recalls. “It is good for people to experience a natural environment.”

He spent several hours every day with his wife at the home and ate his meals with her. She could eat by herself “but sometimes she’d stop eating,” he says. “I would pick up a fork and encourage her to eat and she’d start to eat again.”

The staff at Extendicare were very good at helping people who could not eat by themselves, Jack says. “But I was worried about those people who can eat but don’t have that backup, someone who cares, to encourage them to eat.”

Increased funding could be used to hire more staff who could help at meal times and take people outside more often, he says. “Life in a long term-care home is not all about medical stuff,” he says. “It’s also about quality of life.”