The District of Muskoka is petitioning the province to change the way it offers mental health-care services to nursing home residents after an incident at the Pines long-term care facility that left one elderly resident “in noticeably worse off” condition than before they sought help.

Currently, nursing home residents requiring psychiatric care can obtain a 45-day leave from their care home, with coverage for their usual bed expenses by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC). The policy is outlined in the Nursing Home Act, which governs care at long-term facilities in Ontario.

According to Rick Williams, Muskoka’s commissioner of community services, while in the past the 45-day deadline has been extended to accommodate patients that required more help, the trend of late has been to make no exceptions to the rule.

Recently, a resident of the Pines receiving care at the mental health centre in Penetanguishene was forced to return home after 45 days, against the advice of mental health-care professionals.

“The psychiatric hospital wanted to extend the care for seven to 10 days . . . and the Ministry of Health said no,” Williams told Muskoka’s community services committee last week.

The patient was forced to return to the Pines, and then make the trip back to Penetanguishene for more care. The cost of the ambulance trips and additional Pines staff needed to handle the patient totalled at least $5,000, said Williams.

“Worse yet, it was quite difficult for the patient,” he added. “If fact, they were noticeably worse off from the situation.”

Councillors were irked by the incident.

“It boggles my mind the things the Ministry of Health does sometimes,” said Muskoka Lakes councillor Mary Grady. “I can’t imagine how disruptive that would be.”

District chair Gord Adams said he believes the 45-day policy is “idiotic” because it is driven by financial concerns, as opposed to providing proper patient care.

“This isn’t being driven by any common sense,” he said. “You can’t take someone’s health and compartmentalize into a number of days. Someone might need two days of care, while someone else might need 200 . . . does that mean they should lose their home?”

David Jensen, ministry spokesperson, said current policy allows nursing home residents receiving psychiatric care to have their long-term care bed held beyond 45 days for a $53 per day charge. The cost is not covered by MOHLTC. Jensen said no policy currently exists to allow residents to receive additional mental health care services beyond the stated time period.

The committee eventually passed a motion asking the MOHLTC to review and improve its policies on psychiatric leave for nursing home residents in order to provide greater flexibility and care for vulnerable residents.

Councillors agreed to circulate the motion to area municipalities, Parry Sound-Muskoka MPP Norm Miller and the North Simcoe Muskoka Local Health Integration Network (LHIN), which plans and allocates funding to health-care agencies in this area.