Hospital tells patients to do own laundry

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Hospital tells patients to do own laundry

CBC – 18 hours ago

Cost-cutting measures at Saint- Hospital's complex continuing care unit

mean patients could soon be responsible for doing their own laundry.

Officials at St. Hospital, which is part of Bruyère Continuing Care,

said instead of using a cleaning service the continuing care unit would be

installing coin-operated washers and dryers for patients and their families to

use.

The organization said it is $2 million in debt and needs to find savings. They

are hoping family members can help the patients do their laundry after a new

policy is in place starting in June.

" It's not a perfect world by any means but we feel by trying to save some money

in that avenue, it's absolutely not touching them at the front end for their

care, " said director of complex continuing care Liliane Locke.

But the decision does not sit well with many patients, including McMeans, a

patient at the downtown Ottawa facility who is missing both legs at the knee and

also has heart trouble and arthritis.

" There's patients here that got nobody, like me I got nobody, " said McMeans.

The average stay at the facility used to be several years, and while it is less

now, patients often live there four to five months, making clean laundry a

necessity.

Many patients have serious physical limitations like McMeans and some require

the use of a wheelchair to move around.

McMeans said he would not be able to do it himself and he knows what would

happen.

" People just have to wear dirty clothes, that's all. That's not healthy you

know, " he said.

Locke said she has discussed the changes with the hospital's infection control

office. She also said for patients who are unable to do their own laundry and

who do not have family members to help out, the hospital would try to work out

another solution.