We are obliged to follow Long Term Care regulations regarding absences. During any absence, the daily user fee still applies and must be paid to St. Michael's Centre by the resident/family.
For safety reasons, it is very important that staff be informed any time a resident leaves the building. A sign-out sheet kept at the Nursing Station should be used, as it ensures that staff will know the whereabouts of the residents.
Voluntary Absences (Vacations)
Complex Care residents may be away from St. Michael's Centre for up to 4 days at a time, without affecting their Long Term Care status.
Residents may be away for more than 3 days, but Long Term Care limits absences of more than 3 days to a total of 30 days per calendar year.
Complex Care residents are required to continue paying their daily co-insurance fee when on voluntary absence from St. Michael's Centre. However, for any period of time in excess of 30 days per calendar year, the resident must pay the full cost of the room (the resident's daily co-insurance plus the Government's daily cost).
Involuntary Abscences (Hospitalization)
Residents in Complex Care may be hospitalized for up to 30 days without affecting their Long Term Care status. If the resident is not able to return to St. Michael's Centre within this time period, we are obliged to close the bed of this resident and make it available to another person on our waiting list. Once the resident is able to return to us, top priority will be given for readmission.
When a bed is closed, it is the responsibility of the family to remove all of the resident's personal belongings from the room as soon as possible and ideally within 24 hours.
If the resident is readmitted after the bed has been closed, there is no guarantee that the resident can move back to the same bed, however this is generally not a problem as long as the bed is still vacant. If the resident pays the total cost of the bed, both the daily co-insurance fee and the cost supplemented by the Ministry of Health, and permission is obtained from Long Term Care, the same bed may be held for a limited period of time.
Transfer / Discharge / Death
If a resident transfers to another facility, or in the event of a discharge or death, we require that family members remove all personal belongings from the room the following day, in order to facilitate the admission of the next person in need of that bed. Any effects not removed within 24 hours, will be packed up by staff and the family will be contacted for further instructions.
Outside Appointments
For care services which are not provided at St. Michael's Centre (e.g. medical specialist, x-rays), arrangements can be made for residents to be seen in the community. As St. Michael's Centre does not have the ability to provide transportation or escort for these appointments, family members are asked to help in such circumstances. If the resident cannot be transported by car, arrangements can be made with Handy Dart or wheelchair-accessible taxi, and a family member can act as escort when using either service. (Handy Dart has a fee that is determined by the income of the person using the service.)
If an outside appointment is considered necessary for the well being of a resident, and no one is available for transportation, the resident will be sent and returned by Ambulance. The resident will be billed by the Ambulance service for this.
