Concern raised over level of care and violence faced by residents and staff
The Windsor-Essex Health Coalition hopes a report released on what's happening in Ontario's long-term care homes acts as a wake-up call to the government.
The Ontario Health Coalition released a report titled 'Situation Critical' voicing concerns about the declining level of care and violence faced by residents and staff.
The report points out there were 27 resident-on-resident homicides in long-term care homes in Ontario over the past five years.
The report released Monday makes four recommendations including increased funding and instituting a minimum care standard of four-hours of daily hands-on direct nursing and personal support.
Local Personal Support Worker and VP of Unifor Local 2458, Shelly Smith says more beds will help, but there is a dire shortage of workers.
"We can build all the 'artsy fartsy' long-term care facilities going, but we have got nobody to care for the residents because we have no PSWs {Personal Support Workers} and RPNs {Registered Practical Nurses} are overworked" says Smith.
Windsor-Essex Health Coalition Chair Ken Lewenza Jr. and Unifor Local 2458 VP Shelly Smith. January 22, 2019 (Photo by AM800's Teresinha Medeiros)
Local Coalition Chair Ken Lewenza Jr. says Ontario is failing the 80,000 residents in Ontario's long-term care homes.
"What we found is shocking and unacceptable, if care for the frail and the vulnerable among us measures our humanity and our compassion, then we have failed," says Lewenza Jr.
There are currently 33,000 Ontarians on wait lists for long-term care home placements.
Windsor West MPP Lisa Gretzky says this issue is going in the wrong direction and it will only get worse.
"Over the years, the care, the hands-on care that people are requiring in long-term care facilities, they are not getting, it really drives the point home of what the frontline workers have been saying, they don't have enough time, there is not enough staff," says Gretzky.
The PC government promised it will build 30,000 new long-term care spaces with 15,000 of these to be completed in the next five years.