SUDBURY - Several residents of a retirement home in Sudbury have voiced disappointment with the quality of the food served to the residents.
In a letter sent to the management of the Chartwell Southwind Retirement Residence, several of the clients said the situation is such that they're asking for a rebate on their monthly fees because many people are ordering food from outside the home, at their own expense.
The letter was signed by Judy Erola and 19 other residents, who have formed a food committee. She is the same Judy Erola that was once an MP for Nickel Belt and a former member of the Liberal cabinet headed by the late Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau.
"Over the past two years, we have made a number of appeals for improvements to the food served to residents here at Southwind Residence in Sudbury," said the letter.
"Despite meetings and discussions and promises, nothing has changed. In fact, the quality of the food had declined."
The food committee, made up of Southwind residents, said it was decided to forward the concern to Chartwell's head office. The letter is addressed to Chartwell CEO Vlad Volodarski
Commenting on the letter, Erola said the problem with the food is not something that happened over a short period, but over a period of months.
She said another important factor is that retirement homes are not like long-term care homes in Ontario, which are heavily regulated. She said the residents feel there is no one to appeal to since there are no retirement home regulations specific to food quality.
"We think we are not getting value for our money here," she explained.
"So we are paying an absolutely grotesque fee every month. I'm in a two-room apartment. And it's just an apartment. It's bare bones. We bring our own furniture, everything. And we were supposed to get a number of services with it, including food service. And I'm paying $5,577 a month,” Erola said.
"We rely on family and friends for restaurant meals and home cooked dinners. In light of this situation, we the undersigned request a 10-per-cent reduction in our monthly fees to adjust for the current situation," states the letter.
Erola said residents have complained about the food consistently to the local management, but nothing gets done.
"They listen to us. But that's it. We have had, once in a while, a good meal from one cook. The rest of the time, it's hit or miss," Erola said.
"The best meal of the day is breakfast, because we order it ourselves, with what kind of an egg we want. And generally speaking, we get the breakfast we want. The rest of the time, you take what they've got. That's it."
While one might expect mealtimes to be the highlight of the day when living in a retirement home, Erola said that is not the case at Southwind.
"Many of us who are able to do so rely on our relatives, our friends who take us out to dinner, in their homes or at restaurants. We also order-in food at our own expense in addition to the meals here, because we just can't stand the food anymore."
Erola added that about once a week several residents will order a larger amount of food for a group dinner, again at their own cost.
When asked to describe specifically what is wrong with the food, Erola said it seems many meals are pre-packaged or processed foods that just taste bland.
“Well, it's just no taste. No variety. The funny thing is they're very careful about how they serve you. They'll euphemistically say, we're having chicken cordon bleu or we're having chicken a la king. Well, what you get is nowhere like they say it is. Any resemblance to the real thing, as I say, is purely coincidental,” said Erola
“Often, I don't eat the meals here simply because I just can't stomach them, you know,” she added.
Erola said she is not alone in her assessment or the food.
“Last night, all of us turned our dinner away.”
On other occasions, Erola said residents are informed that the kitchen has run out of items such as butter or tea or ice cream.
What is frustrating said Erola is that many friends and family members assume that because of the high fees paid at Southwind, there is an expectation that the meals would be outstanding.
She said the frustration continues because the latest letter was sent out on Jan. 23 and there was no response.
Sudbury.com contacted Chartwell's head office asking for a comment on the residents' concern. Chartwell responded by email with a one-paragraph statement.
“We are in frequent conversations with this group of concerned residents and open to all their feedback and recommendations,” said the statement credited to Lisa Brule, general manager of the Chartwell Southwind Retirement Residence. “The health and happiness of our residents remains our highest priority and I can assure you we will do our best to meet and respond to their specific requests."
Len Gillis covers health care and mining for Sudbury.com.