Families of care home residents who died of COVID-19 call for creation of seniors advocate
June 15 is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, and families that were impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak at Maples Personal Care Home are using it as an opportunity to call on the province for additional resources for seniors.
Eddie Calisto-Tavares is part of Families Voices, a seniors advocacy group that came together in the wake of the outbreak. Her father was a resident at Maples Personal Care Home for a little over a year before he died due to COVID-19.
She and her brothers were able to be by his side when he passed.
"He was one of the lucky ones," said Calisto-Tavares about her father's final days. "Because the voices that still haunt me to this day are those that had no one there."
A COVID-19 outbreak was declared at the Maples PCH in Winnipeg from October 20, 2020, to January 12, 2021.
In that time, 74 staff and 156 residents tested positive for the virus, and 56 deaths were linked to the outbreak.
"(Families Voices) have been working very hard behind the scenes to get a seniors advocate for Manitoba," said Calisto-Tavares.
"A place where people can go and have their loved ones' voices heard."
Lisa Prost's father was also a resident at Maples Personal Care Home for six years before passing away in January.
She said when she arrived for their regular visit, she found him alone in his room foaming at the mouth. He died in hospital the next morning.
"So this senior advocate, it would be adequately funded, it would have that investigating power to come in and seek out what's going on – these elders need that protection," said Prost.
CanAge, Canada's national seniors' advocacy organization, released Voices of Canada's Seniors: A Roadmap to an age-inclusive Canada in August of 2020.
It gave 135 recommendations to improve senior care in Canada, and number two was a seniors advocate for every province.
Laura Tamblyn-Watts, CEO of CanAge, said B.C., New Brunswick, and Newfoundland and Labrador are the only provinces with advocates.
"In the jurisdictions that have had a seniors advocate during COVID-19, deaths were significantly reduced, and their recommendations made a real difference," said Tamblyn-Watts. "We know how important it is to have that office independent of government, so it doesn't rise and fall with the political terms of the day."
In a statement to CTV News, a spokesperson for the acting Minister of Health and Senior Care said:
"We know that there are a variety of models across the country with respect to seniors advocates. Currently, our Ombudsman performs many of the same functions that an advocate does. Our government has committed to the development of an integrated Seniors Strategy, a process which will include opportunities for public engagement and feedback. The concept of a seniors advocate is not under active consideration at this time, but is an idea that can be explored within our Seniors Strategy."
Calisto-Tavares believes a senior advocate in Manitoba would have prevented many of the deaths that took place during COVID-19.
"Families would have had a place to go to be heard, and so many of our seniors would have not died neglected and alone," she said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
An Ontario senior thought he called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.