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A Message from Robert Gadsby,

Chair Family Council Network 4

As you may know, our FCN-4 Advocacy Committee has been pushing for a minimum care standard to provide an average of 4 hours of direct hands-on care per resident per day. This initiative received all-party support in the previous Ontario Parliament ... and it has been reintroduced as Bill 13 in this Parliament by Teresa Armstrong (MPP for London – Fanshawe).

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Thank-you to the many Family Councils that have already submitted hundreds of signatures in support of Bill 13, but our efforts are not over. Your Petition submissions will continue to be very useful in supporting Bill 13, as it proceeds through Committee to Second and Third Readings in the future.

 

How can you help?

  • On the Home Page, you will find our Petition (both and English version and a separate French version)  in support of Bill 13.  Since this is a new Bill, we need new signatures to support this initiative. Click on the Petition Bill 13 final English .pdf or Petition Bill 13 Final French.pdf to download the Petition for printing.

  • Please circulate this Petition at your LTC home, church, synagogue, gym, neighbourhood meetings, etc. and invite all of your family and friends (including LTC staff and residents) to sign it.

  • EVERYONE can sign our Petition which is to be returned by regular mail to Teresa Armstrong (see address at the bottom of the form). Original signatures are required for the Petition to be tabled in the Legislature.

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A Time For You to Act in Support of

Bill 13 - Time to Care Act

Need something to do while staying at home?   Print the petition for The Time to Care Act found on this web page, ask your adult family members confined in the house with you to sign it and then mail it to MPP Teresa Armstrong (address is on the form).  

 

Then, help us spread the word in this time of social distancing.  Forward a copy of the petition to your contacts, friends and family and ask them to sign it , mail that petition to Queens Park and then ask them to distribute the blank petition to more people.  Remember, petitions going to the legislature, must have the original signature; emailed / photocopied documents are not accepted.   

 

We appreciate your assistance to achieve a standard of care for residents in long term care (LTC).   Staff are currently under increased workloads and stress with all LTC homes now restricting family visits  - their work must be recognized and supported.   

November 16, 2016 Article in The Hamilton Spectator

Petition Bill 13 final English.jpg

Family Councils Network 4, 7th Annual Fall Forum

 

The 7th Annual Fall Form was held Wednesday, October 11, 2017 at the Royal Botanical Gardens. This year’s workshop addressed the complex topic of Breaking Barriers of Communication.  Participants came from  Burlington, Niagara, Welland, Hamilton, London, Cambridge, Brantford, Six Nations Reserve, and Simcoe. 

 

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During the morning session, a diverse panel offered expertise from the view point of Administration, Management, Nursing, Personal Support Workers (PSW) and Families to stimulate discussion and problem solving in communication issues that Long Term Care homes face daily. The panelists, Dr. Marie  Savundranayagam, Gerontologist, shared the current research in Person Centred Care, where training PSWs to personalize communication has had a positive result with residents; Heather Neiser, Personal Support Worker, shared viewpoints of how Barriers of Communication with families, co-workers and management affected their work and health; Joanne Cartmer, shared how important listening to all sides of an issue from her experiences as Director of Programme and Support Services; Jim Lamont, shared his personal journey as a Family Member and Chair of a Family Council and Kate MacDonald, Administrator, presented information pertaining to how important proper communication and maintaining lines of communication are instrumental in reducing miscommunication and keeping front line staff, management, families and residents happy. David Montgomery, who was the moderator for the Family Councils Forum, 7th Annual Fall Forum for the third year, kept the event interactive and added some insightful comments.

 

In the afternoon session, six Scenarios of common communication challenges were tackled in a round table format.  Administrators, managers, care-givers and family members worked together to determine the root cause of barriers of communication and offered suggestions for improvement.

 

I would like to thank all of the panelists, the moderator and the Family Councils Forums Team: Carol Dueck, Recording Secretary; Carol Adamson, Treasurer; Henry Rapzcewicz, Registration and Claudine Van-Every Albert, Programmes/Printing for making this event happen and running smoothly.

 

Thank you to the Multi-Service Providers: Seniors for Seniors, Hausers Home Health Care; Banyan,

GrocerEase; Connect Hearing; Bay Gardens Funeral Home; and the Network 4 Long Term Care

Advocacy Committee for providing valuable information to the attendees. Thank you to Terri Jenner

and staff of the Royal Botanical Gardens for the wonderful venue and great food. Sponsors for

this event were Shoppers Drug Store, Mohawk Road West, Hamilton; Swiss Chalet, Upper James Street,

Hamilton;  Seniors for Seniors, Parkdale Ave. , Hamilton, Ontario and Hausers Home Health Care,

Dunnville and The Albert Group of Six Nations Reserve.

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Helga Henson,

Chair

Family Councils Forum, 7th Annual Fall Forum

Family Councils 7th Annual Fall Forum 2017

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"Breaking Barriers of Communication Between Residents, Family and Staff"

at the Royal Botanical Gardens, Burlington

Wednesday, October 11, 2017

8:30 am - 4:30 pm

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PLEASE FILL OUT ONE FORM FOR EACH REGISTRANT AND PRINT CLEARLY

Registration must be received by September 20, 2017

 

REGISTRATION FORM

 

Family Councils Forums, 7th Annual Fall Forum

Wednesday, October 11, 2017

8:30 am to 4:30 pm

 

BREAKING BARRIERS OF COMMUNICATION

BETWEEN FAMILY MEMBERS, STAFF & RESIDENTS

 

First and Last Name: __________________________________________________

 

Address: __________________________________________________________________

 

_____________________________________________________________________________

 

City: __________________________________On.   Postal Code_________________

 

Affiliation (Council, Organization, etc.)_______________________________

 

Title: ______________________________________________________________________

 

EMAIL: ___________________________________________________________________

                                                         TO BE USED FOR COMMUNICATION AND UPDATES ONLY

 

Special Requirements, i.e. dietary, other: _________________________

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AMOUNT: $_____­­_        Cheque       e-transfer        Cash

 

Payable ONLY to Family Councils Forum

$40 per person; including lunch, nutrition breaks & Multi-Service Provider Resource Fair

Mail to        

Helga Henson

424 Mohawk Road West

Hamilton, Ontario L9C 1W9

 

Contact: Helga Henson, Chair at fcn4fallforum@gmail.com  or 289-253-8220

David Montgomery   Kate MacDonald              Heather Neiser                                Joanne Caratmer                Dr.Marie Savundranayagam                  Jim Lamont

The Panelists

Registration Cancellation and Refund

You must contact Family Councils Forums no later than September 28, 2017, to cancel your registration for the Family Councils Forums 7th Annual Fall Forum. For cancellations made by September 28, 2017, your registration fee will be refunded after the FORUM. No refunds will be given for cancellations made after October 1, 2017.

Cancellation requests must identify the registrant’s name, email address and type of payment (cheque# or cash) to fcn4fallforum@gmail.com.

 

Receipts

Receipts will be emailed once payment is received. For individuals who do not have email, a receipt will be provided the day of the event.

     See Details of the 2016 Fall Forum Below    

Presenters At 2016 Fall Forum

The Advocacy Committee of the Family Council Network 4

is pleased to support the Fall Forum 2016

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"ENRICHING THE LIVES OF RESIDENTS IN LONG TERM CARE"  

 

that is being organized by the Family Councils Forums group.  To register simply click on the Registration Form and copy it to your computer, complete and submit it to Helga Henson as noted on the form. Seating is limited so register early.

Karen Robins, Deb Bryson and Grace Belliveau

     See Details of the 2015 Fall Forum Below    

Family Council Network 4 Fall Forum 2015

 

A special Sub-Committee of the Family Councils Network 4 Advocacy Committee will host the 5th Annual Fall Forum, a series first initiated by St. Joseph's Villa, Dundas. Below is a flyer and registration form which will encourage you to join us on October 21st in St. Catharines at Linhaven Home. The topic is Pathways for Resident Emergency Care - a topic unanimously endorsed by our committee as of critical importance. 

This is a topic to help family members prepare for an emergency hospital visit by their loved one in long-term care. A morning panel discussion by health care professionals on The Emergency Hospital Visit  will be followed in the afternoon with a discussion between a long-term care physician and an attorney/advocate for the elderly on the associated Challenges.  

Please take a few minutes to read over the flyer. To register for the Forum right-click on the Registration Form below, copy and paste it into a Word document and print it; complete the form and return to the address shown with your cheque or money order. We urge you to register early to avoid disappointment. For further information, if you require it, contact Helga Henson, Chair at fcn4fallforum@gmail.com or 289-253-8220. 

 

 

1. Our Petitions and Follow-up Actions to Enact Both Bill 33 and Bill 13

 

The majority of long term care residents cannot speak for themselves and need advocates. Our group, the Family Council Network 4 (FCN4) Advocacy Committee, was responsible for developing a Petition that was circulated throughout the province over the past 4 years. It was part of our on-going campaign to improve care for 80,000 residents in Long Term Care Homes.  It asked the government of Ontario to fulfill the promises made in 2008 to improve care. Our Petition was been signed by over 30,000 Ontario citizens. The signatures included the names of: residents, family members, friends, Administrators and staff of LTC homes, provincial politicians and other citizens. It has been tabled in the Ontario Legislature 22 times (to date), by MPPs representing all provincial parties. We believe it was instrumental in motivating our legislative members to move Bill 33 through second reading. However this initiative died on the floor before the election.

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Now it is time to take the next step - encourage our parliamentarians to do the right thing and Enact Bill 13, the new petition.  You can help make a difference today by taking action now.  Go back to the top of the Home page and follow the instructions to take action to help Enact Bill 13.

 

2. Our Letter Writing Campaign

Our loved ones deserve better. You can make a difference by joining our letter writing campaign targeting the government officials who make the decisions.  Share an experience, relate a personal story and use the template that includes the recommendations endorsed by Family Council Network 4 (the largest group of Family Councils in Ontario) and the Ontario Health Coalition.  See our Letter Writing Campaign.

 

3. Presentations

  • At Conferences: Members of the Family Council Network 4 Advocacy Committee have been involved in speaking at the St. Joseph's Villa, Dundas Fall Forums in both 2012, 2013 and 2014 as part of the  Call to Action at the end of the program. The goal in each case was to mobilize the delegates at the forum to become involved in an advocacy role by using our Petition to garner signatures and to become involved in the Letter Writing Campaign. In 2015 and 2016,  under the leadership of Advocacy Committee member Helga Henson, two very successful conferences were held different locations. Click to see the details.

  • Robert Gadsby, Chair of the LHIN 4 Family Council Network and Helen Benoit, a member of our Advocacy Committee held a news conference at Queen's Park on March 10, 2013 to voice concerns about the need for action on Long Term Care.  The newsl conference was written up in the Toronto Star - View the picture and article

  • In late August, 2015, Tom Carrothers, Chair of the FCN4 Advocacy Committee  and Kelly O'Sullivan (CUPE) took the Time To Care Campaign to Orillia prior to the Simcoe North byelection.  Read the article that was written in the Orillia Packet.

  • On October 1, 2015, Tom Carrothers, Chair of the FCN4 Advocacy Committee spoke at the Ceremony of Remembrance event commenorating the 10 year anniversary of the Casa Verde Inquest.  Click here to check out the program and briefing notes

  • On November 15, 2016, Tom Carrothers, Chair of the FCN4 Advocacy Committee was involved in a press conference with CUPE representatives dealing with Bill 33  Radio station CHML and the Hamilton Spectator were in attendance. Click on the link  to see a copy of the report that appeared  in the Spectator the following day.

  • On October 17, 2017 Tom Carrothers, Chair of the FCN4 Advocacy Committee, was in Peterborough,  at a CUPE sponsored town hall meeting related Bill 33 as part of the CUPE Time to Care campaign where he  spoke on our behalf and the residents in LTC.

  • On February 27, 2018 Tom Carrothers,  a member of the FCN4 Advocacy Committee had 3 minutes to represent Family Councils in support of Bill 33 at Queens Park.  As Carol Dueck, Chair of FCN4 Advocacy Committee said, "He was articulate, professional and passionate."

  • On April 24, 2018 Tom Carrothers, a member of the FCN4 Advocacy Committee and Grace Walsh, Chair of the Champlain Region FCNetwork spoke at the inaugural meeting of the Family Council Network of Trillium in Kingston where Dawn Harris is the Chair.

  • On February 25, 2019, Carol Dueck, Chair of FCN4 Advocacy Committee spoke at the CUPE Lobby Day breackfast meeting with MPPs. At the conference she made connections with a number of MPPs, with CUPE delegates and with other LTC representatives for across the Province.

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4. Ontario Health Coalition

In 2013 we made a connection with the Ontario Health Coalition, we became a member and now have a seat on their Long Term Care Committee. Tom Carrothers is our representative on this provincial committee. which meets periodically to deal with province-wide issues related to Long Term Care. Other members on the committee include representatives from a wide variety of health professional groups and  unions.

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On April 15, 2108 on behalf of our Advocacy Committee, Chair, Carol Dueck signed The Joint Statement To Improve Access and Care Levels in Ontario's Long-Term Care Homes that was produced by the Ontario Health Coalition.

 

5. Rockin' Chair Campaign

Through our representative Tom Carrothers we were instrumental in helping to organize and conduct the Ontario Health Coalition's Giant "Rockin'" Chair Tour in May and June of 2014.  Called  "It's Time to Care", the tour made a presence in 28 cities in Ontario with significant media coverage just prior to the Ontario Provincial election.  The theme of the tour was "Make time to care in Ontario's long-term care homes" and focused on two issues:

  • to set a minimum care staffing standard of 4-hours of hands-on care per day for each resident

  • to improve access to care & reduce wait times.

 

The media events featured a 10-foot tall rocking chair and press conferences with family councils, residents, seniors' groups, unions, nurses, careworkers, families and long-term care administrators. It was designed to help push for improved access to care and improved levels of care in Ontario's long-term care homes.

 

As you can see from the slide show, Tom represented our group and spoke at many of the town presentations. Other members of our group attended sessions in other cities.

 

The Campaign was conducted again beginning in June 2016.  See the photo of Tom with others in Prescott on June 23rd.  They were written up in the Prescott newspaper. Tom was quoted, "Every long-term care facility has family councils, or they may, and we are a committee representing a whole group of family councils and we are out advocating more time to care." We have family councils throughout Ontario and cover the province on behalf of family and friends."

 

6. Making Connections

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  • With Politicians:      

Alice Steele met with new MPP Wayne Gates in this constituency office in Niagara Falls.

Also, Barbara James has met a couple of times with MPP Jim Bradley for St. Catherines. Frans Brinkman met with MPP Paul Miller and his staff to present some of our petitions to the Provincial Government. Also he and Helga Henson participated in his annual Seniors Day Fair. 

 

On March 25th, 2014, Bob Gadsby, Tom Carrothers and Carol Adamson met with France Gelinas, MPP (NDP) for Nickel Belt.  The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the petition and the two letters the Advocacy Committee had sent to then Minister of Long Term Care Deb Matthews.  We were encouraged by Ms. Gelinas to continue collecting signatures for the petition.  She also was helpful in informing us of our rights regarding expectations of a reply from the Minister.  Ms. Gelinas was very supportive of our cause and encouraged us to continue our work for all residents of long term care. 

 

Members of the Network 4 Long Term Care Advocacy Committee were invited to participate and join CUPE

to attend a MPP Breakfast and Lobby at Queen's Park on Wednesday, May 4, 2016. CUPE hosted a breakfast

and invited MPPs to hear a short presentation by guest speaker Dr. Pat Armstrong, co-author of Promising

Practices in Long Term Care Ideas Worth Sharing, to view the Time to Care Video and talk to members of

CUPE and the Advocacy Committee concerning the need for 4 hours of hands on care to be the law in Ontario

for Long Term Care.  Following the Breakfast, members of CUPE and the Advocacy Committee had an opportunity

to meet with MPP's individually throughout the day to inform the MPPs of the need for this bill and get their

commitment to vote in support of Bill 188, the Time to Care Act. 

                                                                         

  • With Other LHIN Family Council Advocacy Groups:

       We have made connections with three other Advocacy groups in Ontario - one in Ottawa, a second in   Kingston and  the       third other in North Bay to share information about activities that we are doing.

 

  • With the Committee Against Abuse of Older Persons(CAAOP) in Hamilton and also the City of Hamilton Elder Abuse initiative.

 

  • With The Public: 

    The Advocacy Committee attended MPP Paul Miller's 6th Annual Hamilton East - Stoney Creek Seniors' Fair on Wednesday, June 24, 2015 at the Legion. FCN4 Advocacy members Helga Henson and Helen Benoit were  there to answer questions regarding Long Term Issues and to promote the Petition as well as the Ontario Health Coalition Rocking Chair campaign for 2015.  A great many citizens shared their stories and concerns.  Both MP Wayne Marston and MPP Paul Miller are supportive of our recommendations for change and added their signatures to our petition.  Helga Henson represented the Advocacy Committee at both Paul Miller's 7th Annual Hamilton East - Stoney Creek Seniors Fair in June, 2016 and again at his 8th Stoney Creek Seniors Fair in June, 2017.

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On April 27, 2016, Helga Henson, a member of the Family Council Network 4 Advocacy Committee attended the Hot Talks on Health topic of Caregivers presented by the Change Foundation. With the recent introduction of caregiver legislation in the UK, Heléna Herklots, Chief Executive, Carers UK gave a keynote address on the progress that has been made so far, and what lessons exist for similar efforts in Ontario, and Katherine Arnup, PhD, Family Caregiver and Author, gave remarks regarding caregivers here in Ontario.   Katherine, herself was a caregiver for her Sister, Mother and Father and has written a book entitled “I don’t have time for this” A Compassionate Guide to Caring for Your Parents and Yourself. Seen in the picture is Cathy Fooks, The Change Foundation, Katherine Arnup, Helga Henson, and Helena Herklots.

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7. Letters To Minister of Health and Long Term Care

Following a response to our petition by then Minister of LTC Deb Matthews, the Advocacy Committee was not satisfied that our concerns had been addressed.  On November 13, 2013 we sent a detailed letter to the Minister addressing those concerns and urging her to act.  No reply was received. 

 

 

On March 26, 2014 another letter was sent to the Minister, reiterating our concerns and requesting a response.  At the time the provincial election was called, we had received no reply. 

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8. Letter To Premier Ford

On May 18, 2020, in the middle of the COVID19 pandemic, we sent a letter to Premier Ford (copy to Merilee Fullerton, Minister of Long Term Care) asking to be considered as a group to provide input into the anticipated inquiries to be conducted by the government related to Long Term Care. Click here to see the letter.

What We Have Done Over the Years To Make A Difference

November 15, 2016

Press Conference

Rockin' Chair Campaign -Tom in Prescott on June 23, 2016

Alice Steele meets with MPP Wayne Gates ...from the Niagara Advance

At the CUPE MPP breakfast and Lobby

Helga Henson with Paul Miller at his 2017 Seniors' Fair

Helga Henson with Paul Miller

at his 2016 Seniors' Fair

Paul Miller  Helga Henson  

Helen Benoit   Wayne Marston

at Paul Miller's 2015 Seniors Fair

On July 4, 2017 Andrea Horwath, Paul Miller and Monique Taylor of the NDP  held a round table discussion at the Spectator in Hamilton. There were 19 family members present including including Helga Henson and Jim Lamont from our Advocacy Committee. (see below)

 

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath announced her plans for a complete public inquiry into the state of seniors long-term care in Ontario – not only into the circumstances that led to eight residents in care homes being killed; but an investigation into staffing levels, funding and safety conditions in care homes today.

On May 10, 2017 Carol Adamson, a member of the Family Council Network 4 Advocacy Committee attended the Caregivers Resource Fair 2017 at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington to provide information about our committee to those in attendance.

On June 24, 2017 Helga Henson represented the Family Council Network 4 Advocacy Committee at Sackville Seniors Wellness Fair, Hamilton where she met with the local MPP Scott Duvall.

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On February 7, 2019 Brenda Cowen, a member of the Family Council Network 4 Advocacy Committee spoke at a news conference in Simcoe in support of the Ontario Health Coalition report "Situation Critical: Planning, Access, Levels of Care and Violence in Ontario's Long-term Care."

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Brenda Cowan at Simcoe Wellness Fair on Leap Saturday.  Able to collect many signatures for the petition for Bill 13 - Time to Care Act.  

Letter to Deb Matthews

 

November 13, 2013

 

The Honourable Deborah Matthews,

Ministry of Health and Long Term Care,

10th Floor, Hepburn Block

80 Grosvenor Street,

Toronto, Ontario, M7A 2C4.

 

Dear Minister Matthews: 

 

The Family Council Network 4 Advocacy Committee is responsible for a petition circulated throughout the province, signed by over 12000 citizens and tabled 18 times in the Ontario Legislature.  It asks that the government of Ontario fulfil promises made in 2008 to improve care for residents in long term care homes. 

                                

Your response to the MPPs who tabled this petition did not address any of our concerns nor did it give any indication that such improvements will be considered in the future. 

 

Through our petition and on-going campaign, we are urging the government to

 

·         immediately increase the number of hours of hands on care to 4 hours per day per resident, as promised in 2008

·          increase that number to 5 hours by January 2015

·         focus on training and establish a licensing body or college with common educational standards to prepare PSWs for the important work that they do. 

                                                              

Dr. Samir Sinha, in his report Living Longer Living Well, created at your request for an Ontario Seniors Strategy, deemed it crucial to provide access to the right care at the right time and in the right place.  We are very far from that ideal. 

 

Our most vulnerable citizens deserve to be cared for in a safe, comfortable, home-like environment. 1

We appreciate the efforts that you and your colleagues in the Provincial Parliament of Ontario have made but we are now calling on you and this Government to deliver on promises made. 

 

Attached you will find a report which deals with your response to our petition in greater detail.

 

 

Carol Adamson

On behalf of the Family Council Network 4 Advocacy Committee

Carol.adamson@cogeco.ca

905-331-0319

 

 

1 Preamble to the Long-term Care Homes Act,

 

Cc.          Honourable Kathleen Wynne, Premier of Ontario,

                Mr. Bas Balkinssoon, MPP

                Ms. Christine Elliott, MPP

                Mr. Victor Fedeli, MPP

                Mr. K. D. Flynn, MPP

                Madame France Gelinas, MPP

                Mr. Michael Mantha, MPP

                Mr. Jim McDonell, MPP

                Mr. Paul Miller, MPP

                Mr. Michael Prue, MPP

                Mr. Jonah Schein, MPP

                Ms. Andrea Horwath, MPP

                Mr. Tim Hudak, MPP

 

 

 

 

Family Council Network 4 (FCN-4) ADVOCACY COMMITTEE

November 13, 2013

 

 

The majority of long-term care residents cannot speak for themselves and need advocates.

Ontario's Family Councils (made up of the families and friends of those in long-term care) ARE the voice of the voiceless.

 

Our Group, the Family Council Network 4 (FCN-4) Advocacy Committee, was responsible for a petition tabled 18 times by Members of the Provincial Parliament, and signed by over 12,000 Ontario citizens, asking the government to fulfil the promises it made in 2008 to improve care to 78,000 people living in Long-Term Care Homes.

 

The Honourable Deb Matthews, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health and Long Term Care, responded to this petition.  We are disappointed that she did not address our stated issues and did not respond to our concerns regarding the critical situation in Ontario's long-term care homes.  Our vulnerable citizens, our loved ones, are

at risk because of inadequate levels of care  and overworked, poorly trained and supported workers.  Our research identified two consistent, major areas of concern in long-term care:

 

  • Inadequate Direct Care (Insufficient time and staff, to feed, bathe, dress, toilet, residents, monitor movements, etc.)  Government funding currently provides 2.8 paid worked hours per resident per day.  In 2008, an increase to 4.0 hours was promised for 2012, but was never delivered.

 

  • The training of Personal Support Workers (PSWs) across the Province.  Currently, training is varied, inconsistent and unregulated.

 

In her response, the Minister states:

1.    "On May 19, 2011, the Ministry announced the creation of a PSW Registry as a means of better recognizing the work PSWs do for Ontarians.  ......As of March 2012, there are approximately 20,000 PSWs who have applied to be registered with the Registry.  The PSW Registry continues to take incremental steps to enhance the function of the Registry ...... The Ministry is also working towards a mandatory registration policy for PSWs who provide publicly-funded personal support service in the home and community sectors."

 

This Registry is at best a very small first step and does nothing to ensure that the staff who care for our loved ones is properly trained.  The application sheet reads as follows:

 

 

                

Article of The Week - January 25th

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This addition of our newsletter is focused on the caregivers.  After decades of lack of funding and attention for long term care (LTC) homes, now residents face isolation and despair as they are kept from their loved ones. 

 

The Ontario Time to Care Act (2020) amends the Long-Term Care Homes Act (2007) so that a LTC home will have to provide its residents with at least four hours a day of nursing and personal support services, averaged across the residents.  And yet anticipated staffing corrections will take up until 2025 and many loved ones continued to be denied access to the homes.   So where does that leave our residents now?

 

As per Directive 3 of the Ontario Long-Term Care Visitors and Admissions each resident is allowed two essential caregivers that can continue to access the home during an outbreak.  Despite this provincial directive, inconsistencies across homes is causing potential health concerns, delays and frustrations. 

 

Action – in support of caregivers, we will continue to advocate with the Minister of Long Term Care, the LTC planning table and to the LTC - COVID-19 Commission.  Please share your concerns and ideas on caregivers with our network and your Member of Provincial Parliament. 

 

We will also be monitoring the impact of Bill 218 Supporting Ontario's Recovery and Municipal Elections Act (2020) which make it harder for families to hold LTC providers responsible for illness or death related to exposure to COVID-19.  This includes supporting the Ontario Health Coalition’s request of the Integrity Commissioner to investigate potential conflict of interest from Government members and their decision making for this Bill.

 

Please share your experiences with these troublesome new processes.  We value your input to ensure our advocacy actions align with your concerns.

Click on the item to get the latest information!

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1. OHC report: “Situation Critical: Planning, Access, Levels of Care and Violence in Ontario’s Long-Term Care”

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2. “Intolerable” levels of violence and homicide spark renewed call for improved care standards in Ontario’s long-term care: new report

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3. Less use of antipsychotic drugs a success in Quebec

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4. Care and compassion: Champlain LHIN looks to modernize home care

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5. Advocacy groups demand minimum standards for long-term-care

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6.  Alarm Sounded on Care for Seniors

 

7. ’The entire system is in crisis.’ Bill aims to prevent couples from being separated in long-term care

https://www.thestar.com/politics/provincial/2020/01/01/the-entire-system-is-in-crisis-bill-aims-to-prevent-couples-from-being-separated-in-long-term-care.html

 

8.Residential hospice palliative-care centre to be built in Mississauga

220 long-term care beds will also be built

https://www.mississauga.com/news-story/9779685-residential-hospice-palliative-care-centre-to-be-built-in-mississauga

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9. Local Feb 03, 2020 Staff increases needed to reduce violence in LTC homes: Advocacy group The St. Catharines Standard 0 Comments by Allan Benner

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10. Local Feb 10, 2020 ‘It scares me to death,’ says Hamilton PSW about severe shortages of long-term care staff The Hamilton Spectator 0 Comments by Joanna Frketich

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11. Opinion May 10, 2019 Our mom’s long-term-care journey was a long and winding road that was exhausting at every turn Special to The Hamilton Spectator 0 Comments by Karen Cumming

 

12. Opinion Feb 28, 2019 Why would anyone want to be a care worker? Hamilton Spectator 0 Comments by Jeremy Kemeny

 

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