Long-term care in ‘absolute crisis,’ NDP leader says
Inquiry into killings by nurse offers chance for ‘second stage’ look at issues
Long-term care is in a crisis across Ontario, says NDP Leader Andrea Horwath, who is pressing the provincial government to get to the bottom of the issues with an extended public inquiry.
Horwath has met with dozens of families and residents of longterm care across the province — including 22 who joined her at the Ontario legislature Thursday — who have told her stories of family members suffering from poor quality care, injuries and neglect while in long-term care homes.
“We need to acknowledge longterm care is in an absolute crisis and that needs to be addressed.”
The Ontario government has launched a public inquiry focused on the Elizabeth Wettlaufer case. The former nurse was imprisoned for life after pleading guilty to killing five women and three men in two long-term care homes in southwestern Ontario between 2007 and 2014.
Horwath said the inquiry is an opportunity to look at broader issues in the long-term care system once it has taken a closer look at the Wettlaufer case. The Ontario NDP has introduced a private member’s bill asking the province to do that.
“The inquiry into Wettlaufer needs to happen. We have said start with the Wettlaufer murders and then move to a second stage of the inquiry.”
She said her visits to family members of long-term care residents across the province have been eye-opening.
“It is a heart-wrenching thing to do to listen to these situations. They basically open up and tell the personal health stories of their loved ones and it is not an easy thing to do. The ones who come forward are absolute heroes.”
Horwath said people are often in tears when they show her pictures of bruises and injuries on their loved ones, or tell her stories of their situations.
“The level of fear and frustration is off the Richter scale,” she said.
Horwath has not visited Ottawa as part of her look into the issue, but said she will.
“These kinds of things are happening everywhere.”
There have been a number of high-profile incidents involving long-term care homes in Ottawa. The province issued a rare order to the city, which runs four longterm care homes, to clean up its act after repeated non-compliance.
Earlier this year, a personal support worker was convicted of assault after repeatedly punching an elderly man in his care at a cityrun long-term care home in Ottawa. The incident was recorded on video cameras his family had installed after becoming concerned about unexplained injuries.
It is a heartwrenching thing to do to listen to these situations. They basically open up and tell the personal health stories of their loved ones and it is not an easy thing to do.