Military report details 'disturbing' allegations on Ontario long term care homes
A military report on five long-term care homes in Ontario details troubling allegations such as rooming COVID-19 positive patients with uninfected ones, insect infestations and aggressive resident feeding that led to choking.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford called in military assistance last month for five long-term care homes dealing with COVID-19 outbreaks.
Ford called the report, “the most heart-wrenching report I have ever read in my entire life,” and added, “appalling, disgusting, what has happened. The dignity of these patients … not being cleaned. These are standard operating procedures.”
Ford said despite inheriting the issues with the long-term care system, “I take full accountability for the system we inherited, but I’ll tell you i’m going to fix this system no matter what it takes. The buck stops with me.”
He added there would be accountability and justice for the families. Ontario has launched a “full investigation” into the allegations and will share the results with police so they can look into any possible criminal charges, Ford said.
Four of the five homes are private, but Ford said there are 626 long-term care homes in the province and they shouldn’t all be painted with a broad brush. He suggested creating a fully public system wouldn’t be feasible without help from Ottawa.
“We financially wouldn’t be able to sustain that,” Ford said. “Now, if the federal government comes in to support us, that would make it more sustainable.”
“The reports they provided us were heartbreaking, they were horrific,” he said. “It’s shocking that this can happen here in Canada. It’s gut-wrenching.”
After reading the report, Ford said it’s clear the system is broken. He said he is now not ruling out a public inquiry, which he previously declined.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who has seen the report, calls it “deeply disturbing.”
The allegations detailed by Canadian Armed Forces members also include failure to isolate COVID-19-positive patients and allowing them to wander outside of their rooms.
At one home, the military reports “significant” fecal contamination in resident rooms, cockroach infestations, residents not being bathed in weeks, and some crying out for help for more than two hours.
Residents at another home were bed-bound for weeks, with a “significant” number having pressure ulcers. Due to severe staffing issues, “most” residents were not receiving three meals a day, the report alleges.
At Orchard Villa, there was also a reports of personal support workers and nurses not sitting up residents before feeding, hydrating or giving them medications leading to a high risk of choking or aspiration, including one incident “that appeared to have contributed to a patient death.”
https://toronto.citynews.ca/2020/05/26/ontario-military-long-term-care-report/
Military teams raise concerns about conditions at Ontario care homes
Military personnel sent to nursing homes in Ontario have observed shocking conditions, including “blatant disregard” for infection control measures, mistreatment of residents and a level of care described as “horrible,” according to documents obtained by Global News.
Canadian Armed Forces teams deployed to five of the province’s worst-hit long-term care homes to help control COVID-19 have raised concerns about each of the facilities, describing the care as ranging from below best practices to “borderline abusive, if not abusive” and worse, the documents show.
Infection prevention and control measures were found to be a particular problem, with Personal Protective Equipment protocols going unheeded by staff, many of whom were not properly trained, according to the documents obtained from a source familiar with the mission.
The soldiers reported witnessing cockroaches, flies, rotten food, as well as residents left in soiled diapers or crying out for help for lengthy periods, the documents allege. At one facility, residents had not been bathed in weeks, they said.
https://globalnews.ca/news/6986338/...cerns-about-conditions-at-ontario-care-homes/
A military report on five long-term care homes in Ontario details troubling allegations such as rooming COVID-19 positive patients with uninfected ones, insect infestations and aggressive resident feeding that led to choking.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford called in military assistance last month for five long-term care homes dealing with COVID-19 outbreaks.
Ford called the report, “the most heart-wrenching report I have ever read in my entire life,” and added, “appalling, disgusting, what has happened. The dignity of these patients … not being cleaned. These are standard operating procedures.”
Ford said despite inheriting the issues with the long-term care system, “I take full accountability for the system we inherited, but I’ll tell you i’m going to fix this system no matter what it takes. The buck stops with me.”
He added there would be accountability and justice for the families. Ontario has launched a “full investigation” into the allegations and will share the results with police so they can look into any possible criminal charges, Ford said.
Four of the five homes are private, but Ford said there are 626 long-term care homes in the province and they shouldn’t all be painted with a broad brush. He suggested creating a fully public system wouldn’t be feasible without help from Ottawa.
“We financially wouldn’t be able to sustain that,” Ford said. “Now, if the federal government comes in to support us, that would make it more sustainable.”
“The reports they provided us were heartbreaking, they were horrific,” he said. “It’s shocking that this can happen here in Canada. It’s gut-wrenching.”
After reading the report, Ford said it’s clear the system is broken. He said he is now not ruling out a public inquiry, which he previously declined.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who has seen the report, calls it “deeply disturbing.”
The allegations detailed by Canadian Armed Forces members also include failure to isolate COVID-19-positive patients and allowing them to wander outside of their rooms.
At one home, the military reports “significant” fecal contamination in resident rooms, cockroach infestations, residents not being bathed in weeks, and some crying out for help for more than two hours.
Residents at another home were bed-bound for weeks, with a “significant” number having pressure ulcers. Due to severe staffing issues, “most” residents were not receiving three meals a day, the report alleges.
At Orchard Villa, there was also a reports of personal support workers and nurses not sitting up residents before feeding, hydrating or giving them medications leading to a high risk of choking or aspiration, including one incident “that appeared to have contributed to a patient death.”
https://toronto.citynews.ca/2020/05/26/ontario-military-long-term-care-report/
Military teams raise concerns about conditions at Ontario care homes
Military personnel sent to nursing homes in Ontario have observed shocking conditions, including “blatant disregard” for infection control measures, mistreatment of residents and a level of care described as “horrible,” according to documents obtained by Global News.
Canadian Armed Forces teams deployed to five of the province’s worst-hit long-term care homes to help control COVID-19 have raised concerns about each of the facilities, describing the care as ranging from below best practices to “borderline abusive, if not abusive” and worse, the documents show.
Infection prevention and control measures were found to be a particular problem, with Personal Protective Equipment protocols going unheeded by staff, many of whom were not properly trained, according to the documents obtained from a source familiar with the mission.
The soldiers reported witnessing cockroaches, flies, rotten food, as well as residents left in soiled diapers or crying out for help for lengthy periods, the documents allege. At one facility, residents had not been bathed in weeks, they said.
https://globalnews.ca/news/6986338/...cerns-about-conditions-at-ontario-care-homes/
