Kaltenberger continues to advocate for care needs in our area
A little less than a year ago, Sheila Kaltenberger started a petition called ‘Develop Hospice Care for Terminally Ill People in Interlake & Eastman Regions’ on change.org. Since then, she has continued to push for the need for a dedicated palliative care facility for residents in the Interlake who are not imminently dying, but can no longer stay in their homes because of increased needs.
Kaltenberger’s quest to get better palliative care services for people in our region, like the options that are available in Winnipeg where they have dedicated palliative care facilities, came when a friend in the Interlake, who had cancer that had metastasized to her brain, needed increased care.
Kaltenberger explained that for this friend’s privacy, she is keeping their identity private.
She was surprised to learn that, because her friend’s death was not, at the time, imminent, and she couldn’t stay at home after a fall, that the only option for care for her friend was in a personal care home.
Kaltenberger said that she feels it was not a good environment for her friend, as the care home staff were not equipped to deal with patients in her situation. Her friend, being 68 at the time she went to the care home with broken bones from the fall, needed specialized care.
“It is not set up with the physical equipment to keep people safe, (and) the expertise is not developed for end-of-life care. There are many different needs, including psychosocial needs that people that are dying have that are not the same as a geriatric population,” explained Kaltenberger when she spoke to the Record a year ago.
Kaltenberger said that the at-home palliative care her friend was getting prior to entering the care home was good, but that access to those specific care providers was discontinued when her friend entered the care home.
Since Kaltenberger started this journey advocating for palliative care needs in our region, her friend has passed away.
“Her pain and suffering is done. We are thankful for that, and it was needless, some of her suffering. It shouldn’t have happened,” said Kaltenberger.
One example of this pain and suffering that Kaltenberger shared was her friend’s pain medication not being increased for a long period of time. Kaltenberger says that she had to ask to speak to a manager to find out why her friend was in so much pain for this issue to come to light.
As for her advocacy work, since Kaltenberger spoke to the Record last, she has been gathering support.
The City of Selkirk, along with the RMs of Whitemouth, Springfield, Brokenhead, St. Clements, St. Andrews, Lac du Bonnet, East St. Paul, Renoylds, Victoria Beach, and Rockwood, as well as the towns of Beausejour, Lac Du Bonnet, Powerview-Pinefalls, Teulon, and Arborg, and the Village of Dunnotar and the Local Government District of Pinawa, have all passed resolutions in council supporting the petition. In total, the population encompassed by these municipalities represents 92,995 Manitobans.
Kaltenberger has also had discussions with leaders in the field and MLA Wayne Ewasko.
“It feels good (getting this support.) I know this process is slow to get changes, but what I feel good about is (that) people are talking about this, and every day people are talking about it. People are reading the Clipper. People are reading the Record. People are seeing the petition online. So, this isn’t going to come as a shock to other people, and they’re going to be more prepared to deal with this,” she said.
She is also hopeful as she’s had two conversations with the health minister’s representatives, as well as IERHA Chief Executive Officer Marion Ellis.
“I have not dealt with a lot of defensiveness from anyone. There’s nobody that says this is a good idea that we started putting people into long-term care homes,” said Kaltenberger.
As for her current venture, she’s now sent a third letter to the Minister of Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care’s office and is hopeful to be able to speak to them about her friend’s situation and the needs in the region.
The message that Kaltenberger would like everyone to hear is, “We have medications to make people comfortable, and we have the medications so that people do not need to be distraught for hours. We should be utilizing what we can to reduce people’s suffering, and that should be a standard across the system, not where one group gets it and another group doesn’t. I think utilizing long-term care homes for hospice is unconscionable.”
Ultimately, Kaltenberger hopes that there will be a dedicated palliative care facility in the Interlake, and she encourages residents to let our elected representatives know there is a need here and do what they can to spread awareness.
“You need to advocate for the people you care about and ourselves. We could be there next. We’re the ones that could be needing this type of thing,” she said.
The petition that Kaltenberger started up 11 months ago continues to collect signatures. If you would like to learn more, the petition can be viewed by using your phone to scan the QR Code or through the link www.change.org.
