COVID in the House of Old is a storytelling exhibit that tells nine stories as shared by residents, family members and staff pertaining to the horrific events that unfolded during COVID across Canada within long-term care homes. Who can ever forget the pictures of military personnel who were deployed to save seniors stranded in COVID-ridden long-term care homes where frail elderly residents appeared dehydrated, unfed, and covered in urine and feces. In fact, 82% of the first wave deaths due to COVID were residents of long-term care homes. Residents were locked away from the world and health care workers were left unsupported during the pandemic. Read more here.
COVID in the HOUSE of OLD calls on all Canadians to act and specifically calls on the provincial and federal government to transform long-term care homes into a caring, positive option for seniors and a rewarding place to work. A petition is part of the exhibit and within the petition are 7 recommendations for action. One of these recommendations calls on the government to fund a Canada-wide pilot project of 24 new model LTC facilities, consisting of small, home-like units, constructed to limit the spread of infectious disease!
Take a look at the report, sign the petition, and do your part to make sure this never happens again!
I am part of a Long Term Care Transformative Committee, a subcommittee of the CARP Local 7, and we have developed 9 Priorities for changes to LTC that we plan to bring to our local politicians and Ministry of Health and LTC to change the delivery of LTC.
Thanks for your comments. We would appreciate if you would share your priorities with us.
Transformative change in the system of long-term care homes in Ontario is long overdue.