Media Article List
- Menus and room service: How hospitals can transform patient experience (and save money)
www.healthing.ca, Meghan McGee
Small budgets, expensive suppliers, and a lack of management buy-in have given hospital food the well-deserved reputation of being tasteless, and well, gross. But a coalition of health leaders is spicing it up. Every day, a typical large hospital throws out more than one tonne of food, according to a 2014 report . In some Canadian hospitals, more than 50 per cent of the food served to patients ends up as food waste. One reason driving the deluge is the average daily food budget, which is less than $8 a patient — dollars that are stretched across three meals, two snacks, and beverages per patient, per day, to meet the Ministry of Health and Long-term Care guidelines . These tight budgets often drive health-care institutions towards cheap and highly-processed foods, resulting in tasteless, reheated meals that are left uneaten on the tray. Another reason for the waste stems from the fact that many hospitals and long-term care homes no longer prepare their own food, instead, buying from large suppliers and distributors. And while preparing food off-site allows for efficient, one-stop shopping, it also requires a two-day lead time — 48 hours during which a patient could be moved, discharged, or scheduled for a procedure that restricts eating, resulting in a wasted meal. A national coalition of healthcare and community leaders, including Food Secure Canada and Health Care Without Harm , hopes to change that. Companies like Montreal-based Nourish aim to transform the reheated, industrial food served to patients into climate-friendly, plant-rich and culturally diverse meals.
Read the rest here:
https://www.healthing.ca/wellness/food/hospital-food-waste/www.healthing.ca, Meghan McGee
Small budgets, expensive suppliers, and a lack of management buy-in have given hospital food the well-deserved reputation of being tasteless, and well, gross. But a coalition of health leaders is spicing it up. Every day, a typical large hospital throws out more than one tonne of food, according ...
- Family of Nunavut elder in Ottawa long-term care faces $45K bill to bring him home
CBC News
Raymond Ningeocheak longs to eat seal meat again with his family in Coral Harbour, Nunavut – but the medevac flight alone to send the Inuk elder home from long-term care in Ottawa cost $45,000. Ningeocheak has spent the last year at the Embassy West senior living facility, where he is receiving care for dementia. His daughter, Sarah Netser, said Ningeocheak’s health has been declining rapidly. He was also one of the eight elders at the facility to get COVID-19 recently, though he has since recovered. “He told me he’s so sick of being there,” Netser said. “He would rather be with family.”CBC News
Raymond Ningeocheak longs to eat seal meat again with his family in Coral Harbour, Nunavut – but the medevac flight alone to send the Inuk elder home from long-term care in Ottawa cost $45,000. Ningeocheak has spent the last year at the Embassy West senior living facility, where he is receiving care ...- What will it take to change long-term care in Canada?
Calgary Herald opinion columnist Trina Thorne, nurse practitioner working in long-term care
The global pandemic marked Canada as an outlier in one significant, tragic way. While seniors in most countries were hit hard, in Canada, a whopping 81 per cent of all deaths in the initial months of the pandemic happened in long-term care, compared to a mean of 42 per cent in other OECD countries. A more recent, independent assessment has found that of Canada’s 30,420 deaths from COVID-19, 18,800 deaths have occurred in 1871 residential facilities as of January 9, 2022. Why were seniors in Canada’s long-term care facilities so hard hit compared to elsewhere? Poor pandemic preparedness, lower daily care hours for residents, poor funding and resources, inconsistent inspections and inadequate integration of health and hospital services are among many factors at play.Calgary Herald opinion columnist Trina Thorne, nurse practitioner working in long-term care
The global pandemic marked Canada as an outlier in one significant, tragic way. While seniors in most countries were hit hard, in Canada, a whopping 81 per cent of all deaths in the initial months of the pandemic happened in long-term care, compared ...- ‘They’re not allowed to have showers’: What it’s like to live in a long-term care home
Caryn Ceolin, CityNews, Toronto, Ontario
Imagine going almost a month without a shower. That’s the reality for many long-term care residents, with just over have of Ontario’s nursing homes fighting active coronavirus cases and struggling to deal with the pressure of overburdened staff. Helen DaSilva is the essential caregiver for her 83-year-old mother in LTC. DaSilva told CityNews staffing is so short at her mother’s facility due to illness, public health guidelines have confined residents to their rooms for weeks and even minimal care, in some cases, difficult.Read the rest here:Caryn Ceolin, CityNews, Toronto, Ontario
Imagine going almost a month without a shower. That’s the reality for many long-term care residents, with just over have of Ontario’s nursing homes fighting active coronavirus cases and struggling to deal with the pressure of overburdened staff. Helen DaSilva is the essential caregiver for her 83-year-old mother in LTC. ...- Sudbury woman calls for change in long-term care with new minister appointed
CBC News, Sudbury, Ontario
A Sudbury woman is calling on Ontario’s new minister of long-term care to make changes in that sector. Monique Mussar is the caregiver for three family members in two long-term care facilities in Sudbury. After hearing that former minister Rod Phillips was stepping down last week, Mussar said she had some ideas on how to choose his replacement. “For one moment, I wish I was the hiring manager for the new person,” she said. “I would like to see a minister of long-term care have hands-on experience with what the residents go through.”Read the rest here:CBC News, Sudbury, Ontario
A Sudbury woman is calling on Ontario’s new minister of long-term care to make changes in that sector. Monique Mussar is the caregiver for three family members in two long-term care facilities in Sudbury. After hearing that former minister Rod Phillips was stepping down last week, Mussar said she had ...- Ontario cabinet minister Rod Phillips to resign seat, won’t seek re-election
The Canadian Press, Toronto News
High profile cabinet minister announced that he is resigning at the end of next month and won’t be seeking re-election. The long-term care minister said the timing of his announcement will allow Premier Doug Ford to appoint someone else to lead the ministry, which is currently overseeing a sector in crisis. Phillips will leave his post as the long-term care sector faces major challenges. More than 50 per cent of long-term care homes were experiencing COVID-19 outbreaks as of this Friday, January 14, 2022, and more staff had confirmed infections than at any other point in the pandemic.The Canadian Press, Toronto News
High profile cabinet minister announced that he is resigning at the end of next month and won’t be seeking re-election. The long-term care minister said the timing of his announcement will allow Premier Doug Ford to appoint someone else to lead the ministry, which is currently overseeing a sector in crisis. Phillips ...- ‘I have never seen anything like it’: Calls for more help, new measures as outbreaks at long-term care and retirement homes reach record levels
Staffing challenges are making it more difficult for some homes to cope with the outbreaks
Elizabeth Payne, The Ottawa CitizenMore Ottawa long-term care and retirement homes are now experiencing COVID-19 outbreaks than at any time during the pandemic as calls grow for more support for homes province-wide. Ottawa Public Health reported 20 outbreaks in long-term care homes and 37 outbreaks in retirement homes on Wednesday, the highest number of ongoing outbreaks since the pandemic began according to OPH data. Some of the outbreaks in Ottawa involve just a few of the highly contagious OMICRON variant, but others are larger and growing. Among them: a total of 43 infected residents and three infected staff at Camilla Gardens Retirement Home, five residents, including one resident death, and 24 staff at the city-run Peter D. Clark long-term care home and a total of 17 infected residents and 44 infected staff at St. Patrick’s Home long-term care. One resident death was also reported at the St. Patrick’s home outbreak, which began (at this care home) in December 2021.Staffing challenges are making it more difficult for some homes to cope with the outbreaks
Elizabeth Payne, The Ottawa CitizenMore Ottawa long-term care and retirement homes are now experiencing COVID-19 outbreaks than at any time during the pandemic as calls grow for more support for homes province-wide. Ottawa Public Health reported 20 outbreaks in long-term care homes ...- Area of Peter D. Clark long-term care home in outbreak status
Megan Gillis, The Ottawa Citizen
One area of the Peter D. Clark home, a city-run long-term care facility, has been placed in outbreak status with confirmation that two residents and another staff member have tested positive for COVID-19. As of Tuesday, there was one active staff case at both Carleton Lodge and the Garry J. Armstrong facility, two at Peter D. Clark, and three at Centre d’accueil Champlain.Read the rest here:
https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/area-of-peter- d-clark-long-term-care-home- in-outbreak-with-confirmation- of-three-covid-19-cases Megan Gillis, The Ottawa Citizen
One area of the Peter D. Clark home, a city-run long-term care facility, has been placed in outbreak status with confirmation that two residents and another staff member have tested positive for COVID-19. As of Tuesday, there was one active staff case at both Carleton Lodge and the Garry J. Armstrong ...- Ontario to tighten vaccination and testing requirements at long-term care homes
Elizabeth Payne, The Ottawa Citizen
Health officials and advocates have been calling for rapid action to protect long-term care homes as cases of Omicron increase at a rate in the province that is almost too quick for officials to keep up with.
The Ontario government is tightening vaccination and testing requirements at long-term care homes, among other measures, in an effort to protect vulnerable residents from the surging Omicron wave. “Our priority is to protect long-term care residents from COVID-19,” said Long-Term Care Minister Rod Phillips on Tuesday.
“Based on the rising rates of community infection and the emerging threat of the Omicron variant, we are immediately implementing further measures to protect our most vulnerable based on the best scientific and medical advice.” Those measures include:
- Testing all fully vaccinated staff, students, volunteers and caregivers two times a week, beginning on Friday. Negative tests will be required on entry, unless there is a negative test from the previous day.
- Requiring full vaccination for all general visitors who want to enter.
- Caregivers must now have a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine by Dec. 20 and a second dose by Feb. 21 for entry. Outdoor, masked and distanced, visits will be permitted for unvaccinated visitors and caregivers.
- Fully vaccinated residents will be screened or isolated after day absences from the facility. No overnight absences for social reasons will be allowed.
- PCR testing and enhanced screening will be required for any transfers from another health-care facility that is not in outbreak. Negative PCR tests will be required on arrival and after seven days. Residents will isolate until there is a negative test result.
- Homes will also be audited weekly if in outbreak and every two weeks if not and be directed on ventilation, and infection prevention and control.
Earlier in the pandemic, the province ordered that no more residents be admitted to long-term care ward rooms with three or four beds. But around 350 residents who were already in those. Some research found that homes with ward rooms — which includes the oldest homes — were more likely to have had worse results during the pandemic. Last Friday, when he announced that Omicron was spreading rapidly in Ontario, Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore promised more action to protect long-term care residents. He said the province has learned lessons from the past. Health officials and advocates have been calling for rapid action to protect long-term care homes as cases of Omicron increase at a rate in the province that is almost too quick for officials to keep up with. Last Friday, Moore warned Omicron could be dominant in Ontario by the end of December. It is now expected to be dominant within days.
Read the December 12, 2021, Citizen COVID-19 update for Ottawa for mention of COVID outbreak at one local LTC facility.
https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/ottawa-sees-highest-covid-19-daily-case-count-in-seven-months-1.5703636Elizabeth Payne, The Ottawa Citizen
Health officials and advocates have been calling for rapid action to protect long-term care homes as cases of Omicron increase at a rate in the province that is almost too quick for officials to keep up with.
The Ontario government is tightening vaccination and testing requirements at long-term ...
- Armed with a room camera at a CHSLD, distrust grew
Montreal Gazette, Katelyn Thomas
The decision to take a loved one to a long-term care home is not one made lightly by Québec families, who often see it as a last resort. The promises made in these institutions, both public and private, are abundant: access to around-the-clock care, assistance with everyday life – in some cases tailored to residents’ individual needs. But over the years in Québec, stories contradicting those promises – sometimes significantly, sometimes in less overt ways – have emerged, and intensified under the strain of the pandemic. Many who advocate for better care feel it’s a tightrope they walk, balancing criticism with the fear of reprisals – always worrying that pushback could make things worse. That was the case for John St. Godard. His husband, Marcel Côté, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2012 at age 70. It stripped him of his autonomy and forced St. Godard to make the difficult decision, in 2017, to move him to an assisted-living centre and then into long-term care. It was heartbreaking for St. Godard, who would visit Cote almost every day until his death last month.
Read the rest of the story here:
https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/families-of-quebec-long-term-care-home-residents-can-never-truly-feel-at-easeMontreal Gazette, Katelyn Thomas
The decision to take a loved one to a long-term care home is not one made lightly by Québec families, who often see it as a last resort. The promises made in these institutions, both public and private, are abundant: access to around-the-clock care, assistance with everyday life – in ...
- Ontario hiring new LTC inspections staff as 269 new COVID-19 cases reported
CBC News, Adam Carter
The provincial government announced Tuesday that it is spending $20 million this year to hire 193 new inspections staff and launch a proactive inspections program in Ontario’s long-term care homes. The long-term care sector was devastated by COVID-19, with a Canadian Armed Forces report revealing major problems in facilities meant to care for some of the province’s most vulnerable residents. The province says this new spending will double the number of long-term care inspectors in Ontario by the fall of 2022, with a ratio of one inspector for every two homes. That means, according to a news release, that there will be enough inspectors to proactively visit each home every year, while also continuing inspections on a complaints basis.Read the complete article here:CBC News, Adam Carter
The provincial government announced Tuesday that it is spending $20 million this year to hire 193 new inspections staff and launch a proactive inspections program in Ontario’s long-term care homes. The long-term care sector was devastated by COVID-19, with a Canadian Armed Forces report revealing major problems in facilities meant to care ...- Ontario announces funds to hire more than 4,000 long-term care workers this year
Holly McKenzie-Sutter, The Canadian Press
TORONTO – Ontario’s long-term care operators welcomed provincial funding announced Wednesday to hire more than 4,000 staff within a year but advocates and employees said more must be done to improve working conditions in the sector. Long-term Care Minister Rod Phillips said the province would put aside $270 million to hire 4,050 long-term care workers by the end of next March. It’s part of a previously announced plan by the Progressive Conservative government to hire more workers for the sector, with a goal of getting long-term care residents an average of four hours of direct care per day by 2025. “This investment will allow all homes to hire and retain the staff they need to increase daily direct care so that we can meet the annual goals set out in our staffing plan,” Phillips said at a press conference in Toronto.
Read the rest here:
https://www.cp24.com/news/ontario-announces-funds-to-hire-more-than-4-000-long-term-care-workers-this-year-1.5613562Holly McKenzie-Sutter, The Canadian Press
TORONTO – Ontario’s long-term care operators welcomed provincial funding announced Wednesday to hire more than 4,000 staff within a year but advocates and employees said more must be done to improve working conditions in the sector. Long-term Care Minister Rod Phillips said the province would put aside $270 million ...
- We need help: Home care in Ontario – the lynchpin of the health system – faces a staffing crisis
Elizabeth Payne, The Ottawa Citizen
Thousands of nurses have left jobs providing home care during the pandemic for better-paid work in public health, hospitals and long-term care homes. The result is a crisis that home care officials warn could jeopardize the province’s entire health system. “We need help. We are in a crisis,” said Sue VanderBent, CEO of Home Care Ontario, which represents most home care providers in Ontario. During the pandemic, money was poured into long-term care and hospitals to help retain and increase staffing. Many of those workers came from home care, which has received no additional support from the province during the pandemic, said VanderBent. Home care officials say it is not surprising workers are opting to go elsewhere where they can earn between $6 to $15 more an hour. But the funding in home care has not kept up. Home Care Ontario says additional funding is needed urgently to keep the crucial home care system running so hospitals can begin catching up on surgeries and people in need of care can get it.
Read the rest here:
https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/we-need-help-home-care-in-ontario-the-lynchpin-of-the-health-system-faces-a-staffing-crisisElizabeth Payne, The Ottawa Citizen
Thousands of nurses have left jobs providing home care during the pandemic for better-paid work in public health, hospitals and long-term care homes. The result is a crisis that home care officials warn could jeopardize the province’s entire health system. “We need help. We are in a crisis,” said ...
- Province looking at toughening long-term care enforcement as part of revamp
Elizabeth Payne, The Ottawa Citizen
The Ontario government is considering adding former police or security officers to its inspection teams and toughening enforcement as part of its plan to improve accountability in long-term care, according to sources. The province has signalled it will bring in legislative and other changes this fall to answer recommendations and calls to improve Ontario’s beleaguered long-term care system.
Read the rest here:
https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/province-looking-at-toughening-long-term-care-enforcement-as-part-of-revamphttps://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/province-looking-at-toughening-long-term-care-enforcement-as-part-of-revampElizabeth Payne, The Ottawa Citizen
The Ontario government is considering adding former police or security officers to its inspection teams and toughening enforcement as part of its plan to improve accountability in long-term care, according to sources. The province has signalled it will bring in legislative and other changes this fall to answer recommendations ...
- Last summer Ford promised air conditioning for long-term care home rooms. That hasn’t happened.
Long-Term Care Ministry says it’s working with sector to have ‘adequate cooling systems’ in place this summer
Samantha Beattie, CBC News
During a heat wave in July 2020, Ontario Premier Doug Ford promised to “rapidly” mandate air conditioning in all long-term care homes, including residents’ rooms. Nearly a year later, the province still hasn’t done that. Palliative care Dr. Amit Arya said it “makes no sense” that the province hasn’t mandated system-wide change, especially following scathing reports from the military and long-term care commission about the deplorable conditions in homes and dehydration and neglect of residents.
Read the complete article here:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/air-conditioning-long-term-care-1.6039532https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/air-conditioning-long-term-care-1.6039532Long-Term Care Ministry says it’s working with sector to have ‘adequate cooling systems’ in place this summer
Samantha Beattie, CBC News
During a heat wave in July 2020, Ontario Premier Doug Ford promised to “rapidly” mandate air conditioning in all long-term care homes, including residents’ rooms. Nearly a year later, the province ...
- Three vaccinated long-term care residents die after contracting COVID-19 variant
Elizabeth Payne, The Ottawa Citizen
Three fully vaccinated residents of an Ottawa long-term care home have died of COVID-19 in recent weeks, the company that operates the long-term care home has confirmed. “We are saddened to confirm that three residents at Extendicare Medex recently passed away,” said Extendicare spokesperson Laura Gallant. Since the COVID-19 vaccination rollout began, deaths in long-term care homes have plummeted dramatically. The vast majority of long-term care residents across the province have received two doses. Research done by Public Health Ontario between Dec. 14, 2020, and April 17, 2021, found no so-called “breakthrough” deaths among people who had been fully vaccinated in Ontario. Breakthrough refers to infections after complete vaccination.
Read the rest here:
https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/three-vaccinated-long-term-care-residents-die-after-contracting-covid-19-variantElizabeth Payne, The Ottawa Citizen
Three fully vaccinated residents of an Ottawa long-term care home have died of COVID-19 in recent weeks, the company that operates the long-term care home has confirmed. “We are saddened to confirm that three residents at Extendicare Medex recently passed away,” said Extendicare spokesperson Laura Gallant. Since the COVID-19 ...
- Patients died from neglect, not COVID-19, in Ontario LTC homes, military report finds: ‘All they needed was water and a wipe down’
Karen Howlett, The Globe and Mail
Dozens of residents in two Ontario nursing homes hit hard by the coronavirus died not from COVID-19, but from dehydration and neglect, the Canadian military says in reports obtained by The Globe and Mail. The documents contain new details about the deplorable conditions in two Toronto homes before the Forces stepped in last year, revealing for the first time that causes other than COVID-19 hastened the deaths of residents as outbreaks spiralled out of control and staffing collapsed.
If you’re a subscriber, read the rest of the article here:
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-canadian-military-report-documents-deplorable-conditions-at-two/Karen Howlett, The Globe and Mail
Dozens of residents in two Ontario nursing homes hit hard by the coronavirus died not from COVID-19, but from dehydration and neglect, the Canadian military says in reports obtained by The Globe and Mail. The documents contain new details about the deplorable conditions in two Toronto ...
- Ontario’s COVID deaths in long-term care were predictable, but no one acted to prevent them
Brigitte Pellerin, The Ottawa Citizen
Government officials look us in the eye and tell us nobody is more important than our elders — but don’t mean it.
It’s amazing to realize it has taken a pandemic, thousands of deaths and a comprehensive commission report to tell us that treating humans like products from which to make a profit is a terrible idea. Prioritizing the economy over people hurts both, whereas putting people at the centre of care, as the Long-Term Care COVID-19 Commission report recommends, benefits both. If only we could have thought of that by ourselves.
The commission report, which came out late last Friday, makes for horrendous reading. Having followed along and read all the transcripts since September, I had a good idea what it would contain. Be honest now: Is there anything in there that surprises you?
The human tragedy that has gripped the province’s long-term care sector and is still making residents’ lives miserable more than a year later — Ontario is just now starting to lift some of the confinement restrictions where long-term care residents are vaccinated — was entirely predictable, predicted, and not at all prevented. Because we consistently refused to put people ahead of economic considerations.
The worst indictment from the report isn’t the low staff levels or the old buildings where people share bathrooms or the abuse we occasionally hear about. The worst indictment is the fact that everyone who should have known, knew in March 2020 that they needed to prevent long-term care staff from working in more than one home and needed to make masks mandatory. That evidence was crystal-clear and in jurisdictions that took those actions at that time the number of COVID-19 deaths in long-term care was much lower.
The Long-Term Care Commission report notes that the majority of long-term care residents who died in the first wave contracted COVID-19 between late March and late April 2020. How many lives would have been saved if the government had acted earlier? If masks and restricting all staff to one home had been implemented a month earlier, how many would have been spared the agony of suffocating to death?
Read the rest here:
https://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/pellerin-ontarios-covid-deaths-in-long-term-care-were-predictable-but-no-one-acted-to-prevent-themBrigitte Pellerin, The Ottawa Citizen
Government officials look us in the eye and tell us nobody is more important than our elders — but don’t mean it.
It’s amazing to realize it has taken a pandemic, thousands of deaths and a comprehensive commission report to tell us that treating humans like products from which to ...
- Fullerton vows to “do right” by LTC staff and residents after the release of a damning final report
Taylor Blewett, The Ottawa Citizen
Ontario minister Merrilee Fullerton vowed to “do right” by long-term care staff and residents after the release of a damning final report by a commission that probed the devastating spread of COVID-19 through Ontario long-term care homes. Fullerton, the minister for long-term care, said in a Monday press conference that the suffering experienced by LTC staff, residents, and their families would not be in vain, and committed to making long-term care a better place for residents to live and staff to work. She has yet to announce in any detail new measures being implemented in response to the commission’s recommendations. In its 322-page report, the commission said the province failed to learn from the SARS epidemic of 2003, that the LTC sector was completely unprepared for the pandemic, and long-festering challenges (underfunding, staffing shortages, out-of-date infrastructure, inadequate oversight) played a part in COVID-19 deaths in long-term care homes. To date, 3,760 LTC residents and 11 staff have lost their lives to the disease.
Read the rest here:
https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/covid-19-fullerton-vows-to-do-right-by-ltc-staff-residents-after-damning-report-ontario-reports-3436-new-casesTaylor Blewett, The Ottawa Citizen
Ontario minister Merrilee Fullerton vowed to “do right” by long-term care staff and residents after the release of a damning final report by a commission that probed the devastating spread of COVID-19 through Ontario long-term care homes. Fullerton, the minister for long-term care, said in a Monday ...
- Care home residents can go on outdoor trips without isolating
Lauren Turner, BBC News
Care home residents in England can now go on low-risk trips – such as to relatives’ gardens or a local park – without having to self-isolate for 14 days when they return. It comes after some families say they have felt “powerless” because of “restrictive” visits. One woman said her mother had not been outdoors for more than 12 months and it would be “amazing” to take her outside. Campaigners now want the rule change to become law, rather than just guidance. On Tuesday, the government’s coronavirus dashboard recorded 1,946 new infections, as well as four deaths within 28 days of a positive test across the UK. The recorded number of deaths is often lower immediately after weekends and bank holidays due to reporting lags.More than 50 million Covid vaccinations have been given in the UK so far, with 34,667,904 first doses and 15,630,007 second doses.Jenny Morrison, co-founder of Rights for Residents – a group founded to end “inhumane restrictions” preventing relatives visiting loved ones in care homes – told BBC Breakfast the change would certainly make a difference for her family, saying: “Mum’s care home is near the seafront. On a nice sunny day, after 14 months where she hasn’t been outside, it will be amazing for us to wheel mum down to the seafront and have a picnic. It will just be absolutely wonderful to take her mother outside.But she said some care homes were ignoring the guidance, with some families being given good access for visits, either indoors or outside, but others not. She said family members needed to be seen not as “just visitors” but as “essential components of people’s care”. A petition has been delivered to the government, calling for the guidance on visits to be made legally binding. It also calls for relatives of care home residents to be given essential caregiver status by law, so they could continue to visit loved ones in case of another lockdown.
Read the complete article here:
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-56977779https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-56977779Lauren Turner, BBC News
Care home residents in England can now go on low-risk trips – such as to relatives’ gardens or a local park – without having to self-isolate for 14 days when they return. It comes after some families say they have felt “powerless” because of “restrictive” visits. One woman said her ...
- Fixing long-term care in Ontario is looking increasingly hopeless
André Picard, The Globe and Mail
The 322-page final report of Ontario’s Long-term Care Commission was released at 7:18 p.m. on Friday night – the political equivalent of taking a shovel, digging a deep hole, and burying it.
Then, on Monday morning, the province delivered another slap in the face to Ontario’s elders when Long-term care Minister Merrilee Fullerton offered up a mealy-mouthed response to the report, featuring such gems as “fixing the problem will take many solutions.”
There is nothing surprising or new in the report, though that’s not a knock on the commissioners. It’s hard to come up with anything groundbreaking when more than 150 reports have been written since the advent of medicare about how to fix the hellishly inadequate long-term care system.
There is nothing unexpected in the government’s response, either. Blaming previous governments for all failings and making vague commitments to do something, sometime – that’s all standard political fare.
But at some point, politicians have to stop commissioning reports that they intend to send directly to the dumpster and start implementing the long-overdue and eminently sensible recommendations therein.
If you’re a subscriber, you can read the rest here:
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-fixing-long-term-care-in-ontario-is-looking-increasingly-hopeless/André Picard, The Globe and Mail
The 322-page final report of Ontario’s Long-term Care Commission was released at 7:18 p.m. on Friday night – the political equivalent of taking a shovel, digging a deep hole, and burying it.
Then, on Monday morning, the province delivered another slap in the face to Ontario’s elders ...
- LTC report recommendations draw thumbs up; now it’s time for Ontario to act, advocates say
Bruce Deachman, The Ottawa Citizen
The recommendations released Friday by Ontario’s Long-Term Care COVID-19 Commission are getting top marks from those who have been advocating for wholesale reform of the sector. What those people want to see now, though, is the implementation by the province of those proposals.“It would be really nice to see an action plan,” says Grace Welch. “I don’t want this to be another report that sits on a shelf.” Welch is the advocacy committee chair at the Champlain Region Family Council Network, a volunteer-run organization that supports family councils — those groups typically comprised of family members of residents of LTC facilities, who represent the interests of those residents.
Read the complete article here:
https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/ltc-report-recommendations-draw-thumbs-up-now-its-time-for-ontario-to-act-advocates-sayBruce Deachman, The Ottawa Citizen
The recommendations released Friday by Ontario’s Long-Term Care COVID-19 Commission are getting top marks from those who have been advocating for wholesale reform of the sector. What those people want to see now, though, is the implementation by the province of those proposals.“It would be really nice to see ...
- CBC News: The National
Ontario Minister of Long-Term Care Merrilee Fullerton dodged questions from reporters and largely blamed previous governments, inadequate staffing and community spread after a scathing report found the long-term care sector was not prepared to address the COVID-19 pandemic.
Watch the video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4AFKwqimnY&ab_channel=CBCNewsOntario Minister of Long-Term Care Merrilee Fullerton dodged questions from reporters and largely blamed previous governments, inadequate staffing and community spread after a scathing report found the long-term care sector was not prepared to address the COVID-19 pandemic.
Watch the video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4AFKwqimnY&ab_channel=CBCNews- CBC News: The National
Ontario’s long-term care minister is facing criticism for her response to a damning independent report into how COVID-19 was handled in the facilities and the resulting deaths. Families of residents want more accountability and say the minister needed to apologize.
Watch the video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qK22hmDX3-0&ab_channel=CBCNews%3ATheNationalOntario’s long-term care minister is facing criticism for her response to a damning independent report into how COVID-19 was handled in the facilities and the resulting deaths. Families of residents want more accountability and say the minister needed to apologize.
Watch the video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qK22hmDX3-0&ab_channel=CBCNews%3ATheNational- Let for-profits build LTC homes, and mission-driven entities run them – Says the report from Ontario’s Long-term Care Commission
Joanne Laucius, The Ottawa Citizen
With files from Elizabeth Payne
The commission, headed by Associate Chief Justice Frank N. Marrocco, Dr. Jack Kitts, former president and CEO of The Ottawa Hospital, and Angela Coke, a former senior executive on the provincial public service, has been at work since last September. The report criticized Ontario’s lack of preparation for a pandemic, especially after the lessons learned in the 2003 SARS crisis, LTC homes, which had been neglected for decades by successive governments, were easy targets for uncontrolled outbreaks, it said. The report said it would take leaders with hearts and minds to re-imagine long-term care in Ontario.
Read the complete article here:
https://ottawacitizen.com/news/let-for-profits-build-ltc-homes-and-mission-driven-entities-run-them-report-sayshttps://ottawacitizen.com/news/let-for-profits-build-ltc-homes-and-mission-driven-entities-run-them-report-saysJoanne Laucius, The Ottawa Citizen
With files from Elizabeth Payne
The commission, headed by Associate Chief Justice Frank N. Marrocco, Dr. Jack Kitts, former president and CEO of The Ottawa Hospital, and Angela Coke, a former senior executive on the provincial public service, has been at work since last September. The ...
- Short-term thinking about long-term care
The Citizen Editorial Board, The Ottawa Citizen
No one wants to spend their later years in an institution. So why don’t we focus more on how to keep them out of one? Yet this is still what governments focus on: not keeping people healthy at home – which would make them happier, prolong their lives and likely cost the health system less – but on “fixing” a model of institutional care that promises low quality of life for residents, low pay for workers, and insufficient resources for everyone.
Read the rest here:
https://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/editorial-short-term-thinking-about-long-term-carehttps://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/editorial-short-term-thinking-about-long-term-careThe Citizen Editorial Board, The Ottawa Citizen
No one wants to spend their later years in an institution. So why don’t we focus more on how to keep them out of one? Yet this is still what governments focus on: not keeping people healthy at home – which would make them happier, ...
- Ontario’s long-term care sector wasn’t ready or equipped for COVID-19Report issued by Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk
CBC News, www.cbc.ca
As of April 28, 3,756 residents and 11 staff members in the province’s LTC system have died. The report on pandemic readiness and response in long-term care, issued by Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk says that by the time the novel coronavirus started to ravage Ontario’s long-term care institutions in March 2020, it was obvious that aggressive infection prevention, detection and patient care actions were needed – and needed quickly – to prevent staggering death rates in the LTC community. That didn’t happen.
Read the rest here:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/long-term-care-pandemic-report-1.6005331CBC News, www.cbc.ca
As of April 28, 3,756 residents and 11 staff members in the province’s LTC system have died. The report on pandemic readiness and response in long-term care, issued by Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk says that by the time the novel coronavirus started to ravage Ontario’s long-term care institutions ...
- Don’t leave family physicians out of the COVID vaccine program
Mohammed Adam, The Ottawa Citizen
One-third of Ontarians remain uncertain about vaccines but would be more likely to get shots if these were administered by their doctors. One of the most perplexing questions about Ontario’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout is why family doctors have been left out.
Read the rest here:
https://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/adam-dont-leave-family-physicians-out-of-the-covid-vaccine-programMohammed Adam, The Ottawa Citizen
One-third of Ontarians remain uncertain about vaccines but would be more likely to get shots if these were administered by their doctors. One of the most perplexing questions about Ontario’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout is why family doctors have been left out.
Read the rest here:
https://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/adam-dont-leave-family-physicians-out-of-the-covid-vaccine-program- New standards are being created for LTC homes – And the public is asked to weigh in
Joanne Laucius, The Ottawa Citizen
The process of building nation-wide standards for long-term care homes was launched on Tuesday. In the coming months, a committee of about 20 people ranging from researchers to LTC residents and family members will be recruited. There will be virtual town halls. Anyone who wants to share their views can fill out an online survey which is accessible from a link in the complete article below.
Read the rest here:
https://ottawacitizen.com/health/new-standards-are-being-created-for-ltc-homes-and-the-public-is-asked-to-weigh-inJoanne Laucius, The Ottawa Citizen
The process of building nation-wide standards for long-term care homes was launched on Tuesday. In the coming months, a committee of about 20 people ranging from researchers to LTC residents and family members will be recruited. There will be virtual town halls. Anyone who wants to share their views ...
- It’s still an institution – Advocates urge radical change for LTC homes
Joanne Laucius, The Ottawa Citizen
Amid calls to turn Ontario’s for-profit homes into not-for-profits, some are arguing that what the system really needs is to turn its back on the institutional model. Rose Anne Reilly’s mother, Rose, died on New Year’s Day at the age of 104. Born in the middle of the First World War, Rose lived through the Spanish influenza epidemic that began in 1918. She tested positive for COVID-19 in November. Her case was resolved, but she went into a rapid decline, her daughter said. Rose lived in a long-term care home for the last seven years of her life. Rose Anne said she fought to make sure her mother would have a later breakfast, as she preferred. In the last year, during outbreaks, residents were isolated in their rooms, with little social interaction, Rose Anne said. “I think these people were neglected. They were not stimulated. And COVID made it worse,” she said.
Joanne Laucius, The Ottawa Citizen
Amid calls to turn Ontario’s for-profit homes into not-for-profits, some are arguing that what the system really needs is to turn its back on the institutional model. Rose Anne Reilly’s mother, Rose, died on New Year’s Day at the age of 104. Born in the middle of the First ...
- Advocating for a loved one in an Ontario care home should not be a crime
Joel Harden, NDP MPP, The Ottawa Citizen
Mom is sullen and withdrawn. So you investigate; you talk to care workers and raise concerns to managers. Soon after arrives a letter by registered mail from the home’s management (it arrives by email, too). “This letter is notice that you are no longer permitted at the home,” it reads. “Your presence at the home is disruptive and disrespectful of staff and residents, and it is our obligation to provide a safe environment. If you attempt to enter, the police will be called for a trespass violation.”Sound familiar? Read the complete article here:On Thursday, March 4, Joel Harden presented Motion 129 for debate to insist that the use of trespass orders end. The motion is called “Voula’s Law” and you can sign the online petition here:Joel Harden, NDP MPP, The Ottawa Citizen
Mom is sullen and withdrawn. So you investigate; you talk to care workers and raise concerns to managers. Soon after arrives a letter by registered mail from the home’s management (it arrives by email, too). “This letter is notice that you are no longer permitted at the home,” it ...- Reduction in annual long-term care inspections left residents vulnerable
Elizabeth Payne, The Ottawa Citizen
A steep drop in comprehensive inspections at long-term care homes left gaps in knowledge about infection control and emergency preparedness leading up to the pandemic, the Ontario Long-term Care Commission said on Friday. The Commission recommended the Ministry of Long-term Care reintroduce annual Residents Quality Inspections for all long-term care homes as part of its second set of interim recommendations.
Read the complete article here:
https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/reduction-in-annual-long-term-care-inspections-left-residents-vulnerable-commissionElizabeth Payne, The Ottawa Citizen
A steep drop in comprehensive inspections at long-term care homes left gaps in knowledge about infection control and emergency preparedness leading up to the pandemic, the Ontario Long-term Care Commission said on Friday. The Commission recommended the Ministry of Long-term Care reintroduce annual Residents Quality Inspections for all long-term care homes ...
- Why would you leave a 104-year-old in a room with a COVID-positive person
Elizabeth Payne, The Ottawa Citizen
An Ottawa woman is looking for answers after her 104-year-old mother was left in her room at Extendicare Starwood nursing home in Ottawa for 48 hours with a COVID-positive roommate. The following week, the 104-year-old tested positive for COVID-19.Read the complete article here:
https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/why-would-you- leave-a-104-year-old-in-a- room-with-a-covid-positive- person Elizabeth Payne, The Ottawa Citizen
An Ottawa woman is looking for answers after her 104-year-old mother was left in her room at Extendicare Starwood nursing home in Ottawa for 48 hours with a COVID-positive roommate. The following week, the 104-year-old tested positive for COVID-19.Read the complete article here:
https://ottawacitizen.com/- Bias and lack of action setting the stage for a second disaster in long-term care: experts
Elizabeth Payne, The Ottawa Citizen
The second wave of COVID-19 in Ontario long-term care homes could be worst than the first if urgent action isn’t taken, a leading geriatrician and the head of the Registered Nurses Association warned on Friday.
Read the complete article here:
https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/bias-lack-of- action-setting-stage-for-a- second-disaster-in-long-term- care-experts Elizabeth Payne, The Ottawa Citizen
The second wave of COVID-19 in Ontario long-term care homes could be worst than the first if urgent action isn’t taken, a leading geriatrician and the head of the Registered Nurses Association warned on Friday.
Read the complete article here:
https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/bias-lack-of- action-setting-stage-for-a- second-disaster-in-long-term- - Revera’s information on Maples care home of Winnipeg was ‘less than accurate’ during the weekend crisis
CBC News, Manitoba
Only seven of the 19 scheduled health care aides were present at the Maples home from 7:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.Read the article here:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/winnipeg- personal-care-homes-covid-19- 1.5795547 CBC News, Manitoba
Only seven of the 19 scheduled health care aides were present at the Maples home from 7:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.Read the article here:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/winnipeg- personal-care-homes-covid-19- 1.5795547 - The other pandemic: The mental health toll on long-term care workers
Elizabeth Payne, The Ottawa Citizen
Elizabeth Payne, The Ottawa Citizen
- Woman arrested for taking mum, 97, from care home
BBC Yorkshire, BBC News, UK
Ylenia Angeli, 73, said she took “drastic action” due to lack of face-to-face contact during the pandemic. Police were involved, and the event was captured on film by Angeli’s daughter, Leandra Ashton, a former Coronation Street actress.Read the complete article here:
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-humber-54801702 BBC Yorkshire, BBC News, UK
Ylenia Angeli, 73, said she took “drastic action” due to lack of face-to-face contact during the pandemic. Police were involved, and the event was captured on film by Angeli’s daughter, Leandra Ashton, a former Coronation Street actress.Read the complete article here:
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-humber-54801702 - Ottawa’s Extendicare Starwood COVID-19 outbreak the worst in the province
Blair Crawford, The Ottawa Citizen
Worst in the province with 80 active cases among residents and 26 among staff.Blair Crawford, The Ottawa Citizen
Worst in the province with 80 active cases among residents and 26 among staff.- Ontario commits to increasing care of long-term care residents
Elizabeth Payne, The Ottawa Citizen
Premier Doug Ford made the announcement Monday saying the COVID-19 has “shone a spotlight on the deep cracks in our broken system”. BUT it won’t come in time to make a difference during the pandemic noted Jane Meadus, lawyer with the Advocacy Centre for the Elderly. The change, which will be included in the provincial budget Thursday will not be fully implemented until 2024-2025.Read the complete article here:
https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/ontario- commits-to-increasing-care-of- long-term-care-residents Elizabeth Payne, The Ottawa Citizen
Premier Doug Ford made the announcement Monday saying the COVID-19 has “shone a spotlight on the deep cracks in our broken system”. BUT it won’t come in time to make a difference during the pandemic noted Jane Meadus, lawyer with the Advocacy Centre for the Elderly. The change, which will be included ...- Ontario pledges more direct care for long-term care residents
Taylor Blewett, The Ottawa Citizen
Taylor Blewett, The Ottawa Citizen
- Ontario’s long-term care minister needs to up her game fast
Mohammed Adam, The Ottawa Citizen
Long-term care homes were the epicentre of the virus in the first wave, accounting for three-quarters of deaths in Ontario, and anyone paying serious attention would have anticipated what was coming. The reality is that the Ministry of Long-term Care is always a step or two behind the crisis, and that raises serious questions about Minister Merrilee Fullerton.Mohammed Adam, The Ottawa Citizen
Long-term care homes were the epicentre of the virus in the first wave, accounting for three-quarters of deaths in Ontario, and anyone paying serious attention would have anticipated what was coming. The reality is that the Ministry of Long-term Care is always a step or two behind the crisis, and ...- Long-term Care COVID-19 Commission
Ontario Government, www.ontario.ca
Read about Ontario’s independent investigation into COVID-19 and long-term care here:
https://www.ontario.ca/page/long-term-care-covid-19- commission Ontario Government, www.ontario.ca
Read about Ontario’s independent investigation into COVID-19 and long-term care here:
https://www.ontario.ca/page/long-term-care-covid-19- commission - Ontario long-term care commission will grant workers anonymity
Shawn Jeffords, The Canadian Press, National Post
Staff at Ontario’s nursing homes can now be granted anonymity when testifying for a commission examining how COVID-19 spread in the province’s long-term care system, the government said on Tuesday as it moved to shield the workers from reprisal.Shawn Jeffords, The Canadian Press, National Post
Staff at Ontario’s nursing homes can now be granted anonymity when testifying for a commission examining how COVID-19 spread in the province’s long-term care system, the government said on Tuesday as it moved to shield the workers from reprisal.Read the rest here:
https://nationalpost.com/pmn/- Time to care about proper staffing in Ontario’s nursing homes
Susan Bradley, Opinion, The Ottawa Citizen
Susan Bradley, Opinion, The Ottawa Citizen
- Some short-term fixes for Ontario’s long-term care
Editorial Board, The Ottawa Citizen
Editorial Board, The Ottawa Citizen
- Commission investigating COVID-19 in Ontario long-term care homes releases interim recommendations Colin D’Mello, Queen’s Park Bureau Chief and Videojournalist
CTV News, Toronto, ctvnews.ca
CTV News, Toronto, ctvnews.ca
- Ontario nursing homes break the law repeatedly with no consequences
CBC News, Marketplace
Read the article here:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/marketplace/nursing-homes- abuse-ontario-seniors-laws-1. 5770889 CBC News, Marketplace
Read the article here:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/marketplace/nursing-homes- abuse-ontario-seniors-laws-1. 5770889 - Top 30 Ontario long-term care homes with most reported violations (from 2015 to 2019)
- I truly believed if I did not get her out of the home she would die – Sisters celebrate release from long-term care home
Elizabeth Payne, The Ottawa Citizen
Elizabeth Payne, The Ottawa Citizen
- ‘What is the plan?’: Ottawa long-term care outbreak raises fears about readiness for next wave of COVID-19
Elizabeth Payne, The Ottawa Citizen
After weeks of relative calm, a new, large COVID-19 outbreak at an Ottawa long-term care home is raising fears that not enough has been done to prevent a second deadly wave in long-term care across Ontario. As of this week, at least 27 residents of Extendicare West End Villa and three staff members had tested positive for COVID-19, making it the largest current outbreak in the province and the only one with more than five active cases. Extendicare says it does not know for certain how the outbreak started, but it is a reminder how quickly COVID-19 can spread, especially among vulnerable long-term care residents, once it gets inside a home. Because it is the first significant outbreak in an Ontario long-term care home since the first wave of COVID-19 killed more than 1,800 long-term care residents and infected thousands more, it is the focus of attention from the province and Ottawa Public Health, which has been in daily contact with the home.
Elizabeth Payne, The Ottawa Citizen
After weeks of relative calm, a new, large COVID-19 outbreak at an Ottawa long-term care home is raising fears that not enough has been done to prevent a second deadly wave in long-term care across Ontario. As of this week, at least 27 residents of Extendicare West End Villa and three ...
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