(October 8, 2020)<\/p>\n
By:\u00a0Matthew Barker, The Peterborough Examiner<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The Peterborough Health Coalition held a rally outside of Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Dave Smith\u2019s office on Thursday, calling for more funding for long-term care homes in the area and more protection for residents.<\/p>\n \u201cAs we all know the impact of this COVID-19 pandemic is being heavily felt in long-term care facilities,\u201d said Charlene Avon, a board member of the Ontario Health Coalition.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is being underfunded, it\u2019s been undervalued, it has been privatized and by a government that has after six and seven long months, deadly months, no plan to protect residents and staff and families.\u201d<\/p>\n Robin Nelson, whose mother is in a long-term care home, said residents deserve better care than they are getting.<\/p>\n \u201cMy mom was in long-term care and she wasn\u2019t getting the quality care she deserves,\u201d Nelson said.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause they don\u2019t have the PSWs there. It isn\u2019t so much that PSWs don\u2019t care it\u2019s that they don\u2019t have time to care properly.\u201d<\/p>\n Donna Paris, a personal support worker at Fairhaven long-term care home, said she came to talk about the challenges that her and her co-workers face daily in long-term care.<\/p>\n \u201cThe last few months have been some of the most emotional and difficult times,\u201d Paris said. \u201cI have experienced in my 15 years as a PSW, we have lost and continue to lose residents due to COVID.\u201d<\/p>\n The union wants a minimum of four hours spent per resident per day, said Melinda Whitney, a PSW at Extendicare and chief steward for the Service Employees International Union.<\/p>\n \u201cOur union is advocating for a minimum of four hours a day per resident,\u201d Whitney said. \u201cThey deserve that and I strongly believe they have been ignored and those are the ones that taught us morals and values and our strong beliefs and we have to give that back in return and give them a decent life.\u201d<\/p>\n The pandemic exposed glaring vulnerabilities in the industry that the government can\u2019t ignore, she said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have all heard the horror stories about the care delivered in some long-term care homes and it is shameful, we need to do better,\u201d Whitney said.<\/p>\n Smith came out to speak to protesters about their concerns.<\/p>\n He said a committee was formed to address the challenges that have come up in long-term care facilities since the start of the pandemic.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is a committee that has been formed to take a look at the challenges in long-term care,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n