{"id":11449,"date":"2020-05-03T16:32:20","date_gmt":"2020-05-03T20:32:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ontariohealthcoalition.ca\/?p=11449"},"modified":"2020-05-07T23:28:42","modified_gmt":"2020-05-08T03:28:42","slug":"cathy-majtenyi-sad-record-in-helping-seniors-is-exposed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ontariohealthcoalition.ca\/index.php\/cathy-majtenyi-sad-record-in-helping-seniors-is-exposed\/","title":{"rendered":"Cathy Majtenyi: Sad record in helping seniors is exposed"},"content":{"rendered":"

(May 2, 2020)<\/p>\n

By:\u00a0Cathy Majtenyi, The Catholic Register<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s a pandemic within a pandemic \u2014 and a damning indictment of how we\u2019ve been failing to care for our most vulnerable. People living in seniors\u2019 homes across Canada are being hit disproportionately hard by COVID-19.<\/p>\n

The numbers are grim. On April 17, the Canadian Press reported COVID-19 outbreaks \u201cat 106 long-term care homes in Ontario, with at least 1,229 residents and 621 staff members infected, and at least 216 resident deaths.\u201d Ontario\u2019s total on that day was 9,525 cases and 478 deaths overall.<\/p>\n

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This reflects a country-wide trend that almost half of all COVID-19-related deaths can be attributed to outbreaks in seniors\u2019 homes, according to Canada\u2019s chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam. Why is that so?<\/p>\n

The superficial answer is obvious. Physical distancing is almost impossible in an environment where staff need to get close to residents to provide services such as feeding and bathing. Bedrooms are sometimes shared and, by their very structural design, seniors\u2019 homes contain a number of common areas.<\/p>\n

We know that older adults are more susceptible to contracting, and dying from, COVID-19. Many residents also have underlying conditions \u2014 diabetes, heart disease, stroke \u2014 which adds to their risk of dying from COVID-19.<\/p>\n

Scratch the surface and a more troubling answer emerges. Staffing levels in many long-term care facilities are woefully inadequate to the point where residents can wait for hours or even days for such basic care as a diaper change. The relatively few staff are putting in overtime hours under intense pressure and danger.<\/p>\n

A sizable number of facilities lack personal protective equipment (PPE) and training for staff. Wages are low, job security is precarious and getting full-time employment is sometimes difficult, causing some staff to work at several homes just to make ends meet.<\/p>\n

These systemic problems did not arise with COVID-19. They\u2019ve been there all along, if we had cared to look. Take the case of Ontario:<\/p>\n