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.
Resident isolation, staffing remain significant concerns in Ontario long-term care centres
Ontario s commission on how and why COVID-19 ravaged long-term care homes is expected to deliver its report today. But those watching the system say not enough has changed as a result of the pandemic, and residents are paying the price of isolation that may now be doing more harm than good.
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Ontario s commission on why COVID-19 ravaged long-term care homes is expected to deliver its report Friday
Posted: Apr 30, 2021 4:00 AM ET | Last Updated: April 30
John Asboth, 99, lives in a Toronto-based long-term care centre and hasn t been outside since September due to COVID-19 isolation rules, his daughter says. Those are policies that may now be doing more harm than good and should be reviewed, experts say.(Submitted by Joni Asboth)
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Leedham was fired Nov. 30 he was earning a base salary of $193,800 just hours after he says he submitted a doctor’s note suggesting he take a medical leave.
The publicly traded company has been previously named in a proposed class action that targets several long-term providers for their pandemic response.
Last June, it cut ties with an executive vice-president, who had referred to relatives of infected residents as litigious and blood-sucking. Its CEO resigned days later.
In all, COVID-19 killed more than 300 people living in Sienna homes.
“The numbers speak for themselves,” Leedham said.
The province took over three of the facilities, including Altamont Care Community in Toronto, which the military named in a report for inadequate care and feeding of residents due to staff shortages.
Published Thursday, April 29, 2021 3:00PM EDT TORONTO - Physical and sexual abuse of residents was rampant at one of Ontario s major nursing-home chains, and senior managers were at times drunk on the job, a fired company executive alleges in a wrongful dismissal lawsuit. In his untested claim against Sienna Senior Living, Chris Leedham alleges he was terminated after he raised concerns about the mistreatment of residents. Leedham, 52, who is seeking $575,000 in various damages, says the situation, compounded by mounting criticism of his performance, took a huge toll on his mental health. “Sienna chose to actively ignore Mr. Leedham s calls for help, going so far as to tell him to stop bringing these issues up,” the suit alleges. “Sienna terminated Mr. Leedham s employment in whole or in part because he raised concerns.”
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While more than local 1,000 local health-care workers have been vaccinated against COVID-19, hundreds more have turned down the shot when offered.
Statistics provided by local long-term care homes show that, at some facilities, fewer than 60 per cent of front-line workers have been vaccinated.
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“These are individuals tasked with the care of some of our community’s most vulnerable and throughout this pandemic they have done a remarkable job of that,” said Dr. Elizabeth Urbantke, Brant’s acting medical officer of health.