Loneliness, anxiety and depression were just some of the effects of pandemic restrictions on the well-being of long-term care home residents in Ontario, a report by the patient ombudsman has found.
The Doug Ford government says it has allocated hundreds of beds to the Ontario for-profit long-term care chains at the centre of a military report that shocked the nation more than a year ago with details of horrifying conditions and neglect.
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.
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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.”