Care homes need more aid prior to second wave

OTTAWA— The federal government must do more to help provinces prepare long-termcare homes for the next wave of COVID-19, the Ontario Long Term Care Association says.

Association CEO Donna Duncan is calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to quickly negotiate an agreement with provincial governments to deliver money to help long-term-care systems ramp up preparations as soon as possible.

“We need to act fast,” she said, noting many experts think the second-wave of novel coronavirus infections will hit no later than September.

She is looking for an agreement along the lines of the 2017 deals signed between Ottawa and provincial governments to flow money for mental health and home care. Those agreements required provinces to produce plans for how the money would be allocated.

Duncan said she doesn’t have a specific national dollar figure in mind, but is looking for everything from money to hire more workers, to prioritizing the delivery of personal protective equipment and rapid onsite COVID-19 testing, as well as infrastructure funds that will help make some of the older, smaller homes better able to prevent infection and isolate patients when they become ill.

Last week, Trudeau said longterm care was on the agenda when he and premiers had their weekly COVID-19 conference call. He has not yet put any specifics on the table and has noted the provinces have jurisdiction.

“I said to the premiers, our government will be there to support them as we work together to ensure that our elders receive the care they deserve,” Trudeau said.

Duncan’s organization represents about 70 per cent of the 626 long-term-care homes in Ontario, but she said it is working with national and other provincial associations as well.

Long-term-care homes have borne the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada to date, with more than 4,000 residents dying in Ontario and Quebec alone.

There are still outbreaks at more than1,000 facilities in Ontario, affecting at least 1,000 patients and more than 900 staff. More than 2,000 long-termcare residents have died in Quebec, and thousands more have been infected.