Northern challenges in long-term care must be addressed now: NDP

ELLIOT LAKE – NDP MPPs Michael Mantha and Guy Bourgouin hosted an online community town hall on Thursday evening with long-term care workers and advocates on the urgent long-term care needs in northern Ontario.
“Northern Ontario has specific challenges when it comes to long-term care that need to be addressed now,” said Mantha, MPP for Algoma-Manitoulin.

“We have a population that is aging at a faster pace than the provincial average. That means we need to start building more long-term care beds now because even today seniors in northern Ontario are facing long wait times, in some cases up to three years.

“Doug Ford can’t continue delaying the addition of beds in our long-term care system and wait for another crisis to take its toll on our seniors.”

Mantha and Bourgouin were joined by Linda Semczyszyn, Chairperson of the board of directors at North Centennial Manor in Kapuskasing and Catherine Joyce, a long-time PSW from Manitoulin.

“I have to take care of thirteen adults, who need dignity and privacy, and have the right to not just be on an ‘assembly line’ when it comes to care.,” said Joyce.

Bourgouin, the NDP’s critic for Francophone Affairs said that northern Ontario has a large portion of its population that is Francophone and needs seniors services in French. “Franco-Ontarians need service in French in order to be properly administered health care. A failure to do so will compromise the health of seniors in care,” said Bourgouin, MPP for Mushkegowuk-James Bay.

“PSWs are underpaid and overwhelmed. They barely have time for bedding, dressing and feeding and that is simply unfair. They work extremely hard to care for and attend to the needs of our elders,” said Semczyszyn.

“We heard from many concerned families tonight, they are calling for an increase in staffing levels now, ensure PSWs are hired full time, invest in nutrition and air conditioning, and do more comprehensive inspections, as an immediate start to taking care of seniors in long-term care homes,” said Bourgouin.

“While the Liberals created a crisis in long-term care, Doug Ford needs to stop making it worse and fix it now.”

Link: https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=638693200383908