May 5th, 2021
May 5th, 2021
QUEEN’S PARK – The minister of long-term care needs to take responsibility for failing seniors, said MPP Jeff Burch (Niagara Centre). The Ford government must take action now to protect them, Burch said during question period Wednesday.
Burch shared the stories of two local families whose mothers have suffered at Royal Rose Place, a for-profit long-term care home in Welland.
“Over the course of five months, a constituent from Welland saw her mother’s health deteriorate. She had two ulcers, constant urinary tract infections, and was left in soiled diapers for hours. Complaint after complaint to the ministry went unaddressed until her mother passed just a few weeks ago,” said Burch.
“When will this minister take responsibility for her government’s lack of action and for what is happening to seniors at long-term care under her watch?”
Burch said the Long-Term Care Commission revealed what anyone with a family member in a for-profit long-term care facility already knew: that decades of neglect left residents vulnerable; that this government was not prepared for a pandemic; and that the minister ignored the warnings of the risk that COVID posed to LTC residents.
“It’s irresponsible and unbelievable for the minister of long-term care to claim that she holds no responsibility for long-term care,” said Burch. “Seniors, and their families, expect the minister to be responsible for their well-being and accountable for their care.
“Another constituent told me about her mother who was at Royal Rose Place. Her mother has dementia. She got COVID, along with 77 other residents in the 96-bed long-term care home. She had great difficulty recovering and has since suffered seven falls and, a few weeks ago, she broke her neck. They’ve filed a number of complaints with the ministry, to no avail. Just this week, five staff and six more residents tested positive for the virus.
“Will this minister stop shifting the blame and finally take action to protect seniors in long term care and resign?”