WINDSOR — The union represent local personal support workers is disturbed by a military report on long-term care homes, but equally disturbed at the government's reaction.
The report released on Tuesday by the Canadian Armed Forces, which was called in to help five long-term care homes in Ontario, found deplorable conditions including COVID patients interacting with non-COVID patients, residents not being bathed, residents who were soiled and calling for help for hours.
There were also cockroach infestations.
Speaking on AM800's the Morning Drive, Unifor Local 2458 President Tullio DiPonti says the union has been sounding the alarm over the condition of long-term care homes for years and sadly, it has taken the pandemic to get the government's attention.
"So when I see Premier Ford on TV crying saying how disturbed he is, it makes me sick," he says. "We have been telling him, we have been telling every government, not just the Conservative government, the Liberals, the NDP, this has got to stop."
He says the industry is extremely understaffed and under paid which means personal support workers have to have multiple jobs to make ends meet.
Unifor Local 2458 represents workers in 22 long-term care homes in Ontario.
DiPonti says it is sad that the government needed the Military report to get its attention.
"For them all of a sudden have to have the military write a report to the prime minister of Canada so they can realize that we really do have a problem in long-term care, it is really disturbing to us."
DiPonti says workers are not to blame for the conditions in these long-term care homes because they are extremely understaffed.
He points out some PSWs sit in their cars crying before going to work, because they know the challenges they will face in helping the senior residents.