The family of a Port-Cartier CHSLD resident expresses their dismay at the lack of occupational therapy service. The man made falls possibly caused by a wheelchair ill -suited to his needs.
Ronald Harbor was admitted to the CHSLD of Port-Cartier in the spring of 2024.
His daughter Sonia Harbor has been worried about her situation since he was almost continuously confined to his wheelchair.
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The man is generally sleepy and, according to his daughter, the chair he has does not provide him with adequate support and does not protect him from falls.
The last occurred on April 17. The 83 -year -old man had a wound in the head and bruises on an arm.
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However, his family believes that the consequences could have been tragic.
Sonia Harbor wants her father to be seen by an occupational therapist so that he can be safe in his wheelchair.
“Doctors have made queries that his chair is not [adapté] for him. The nurses make requests. I made complaints. There is nothing moving, ”says Sonia Harbor.
She compares her father’s wheelchair to those found at the entrance to the emergency room. “He sits all square in there. He fails to fall forward. It is not well. These are not chairs for them. ”
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The Côte-Nord Health center does not comment on this specific case, but confirms a shortage of occupational therapists in the region. Ten of the 43 positions are vacant.
According to the union which represents them, it has been two years that the only position of occupational therapist at the CHSLD of Port-Cartier is not provided and that the reinforcements do not arrive.
“We have independent hands-by, occupational therapists who are in Sept-Îles. Why could an independent workforce not be moved to Port-Cartier for follow-up? We wonder. We even have girls who raised hands. Finally, they were said that they could not go. It’s very [discutable] And worrying for the population of Port-Cartier, ”says the president of the North Coast Apts, Mylaine Larocque.
The North Coast Health Center indicates that there are occasional visits to occupational therapists in Port-Cartier and that in average, the waiting period is less than a year.
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