‘It’s ludicrous and it’s dangerous’: seniors’ advocate cries foul over letters for personal care home help
A seniors’ care advocate is crying foul after letters from two Manitoba personal care homes were sent to residents’ families, warning they may need to help with care starting Monday.
“This is a crisis. Whether it’s a staffing crisis, an infectious bed crisis the issue is the same. We need more care for these personal care homes,” said Laura Tamblyn Watts, CEO of CanAge, a seniors’ advocacy organization.
Tamblyn Watts said in these rural communities, family members would already be looking after each other if they could.
“It is irresponsible to be sending that kind of missive out and not be raising the alarm bell to the government,” said Tamblyn Watts.
The letters, sent to family members of residents from both Salem Home in Winkler and Tabor Home in Morden, said they may need to help with laundry, feeding and other general duties.
The ask comes in advance of a potential staffing shortage on Monday when mandatory COVID-19 vaccination or routine COVID-19 testing for front-line health care staff comes into effect in the province.
“It’s ludicrous and it’s dangerous,” said Tamblyn Watts. “There’s a danger in having untrained people providing hands-on care.”
On Friday, Manitoba’s Health Minister Audrey Gordon said there are many contingency plans being looked at regarding staffing shortages due to the vaccine mandate, but Tamblyn Watts worries about a worse case scenario where there is widespread death and negligence.
Of the 42,000 staff, physicians, and others with direct contact with patients, residents, clients or their environments, 29,707 have indicated they are fully vaccinated to Shared Health by Friday, with 1,801 individuals identified as requiring testing. They work in a variety of roles and professions across the province.
Tamblyn Watts said Manitoba personal care homes have been dealing with staffing issues before the pandemic, and now through the pandemic, staffing levels have dropped by about 30 per cent and nothing has been done to address the issue.
CanAge supports the vaccine mandate for health care workers but believes more has to be done. Tamblyn Watts offered up a three-pronged approach that includes meeting communities locally and culturally to address vaccine hesitancy, making the vaccines more readily available and transforming personal care.
“Part of what that means is making the jobs in personal care in Manitoba are good paying safe jobs.”
With files from CTV’s Michelle Gerwing and Stephanie Tsicos
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
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.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
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.
Pilot reported fire onboard plane carrying fuel, attempted to return to Fairbanks just before crash
One of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both people on board, a federal aviation official said Wednesday.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
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.
7 surveillance videos linked to extortions of South Asian home builders in Edmonton released
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'
Ukraine uses long-range missiles secretly provided by U.S. to hit Russian-held areas, officials say
Ukraine for the first time has begun using long-range ballistic missiles provided secretly by the United States, bombing a Russian military airfield in Crimea last week and Russian forces in another occupied area overnight, American officials said Wednesday.