‘Operating on fear’: Ottawa woman speaks out about impact of new nursing home law
Seniors are speaking out about the impacts of a new Ontario government bill aimed at freeing up bed space in hospitals by potentially moving patients far from their preferred destinations.
They say the bill is already taking a toll on many families.
Ontario’s Bill 7 means seniors can be placed in a home within 70 kilometres, even if it is not on their preferred list, or pay hundreds of dollars to stay in hospital. For an Ottawa woman, her family and caregiver, it means a move they did not want to make but felt they had no choice.
"Help," that is the message from Deana Henry, who recently moved from hospital to a long-term care home.
"We were operating on fear, and didn't have time to make decisions. The bed was offered at 1 on the Thursday and the decision had to be made," said Mary Sinclair, who has been Deana Henry’s caregiver for several years.
Extendicare West End Villa was not one of her preferred locations. However, Bill 7 – Ontario’s More Beds, Better Care Act, didn’t leave her much choice.
"If she didn’t take the bed that was offered here at West End Villa, she could be moved to a facility that was up to 70 km away from family and from me, and the family wasn't willing to accept that risk," Sinclair said.
Deana, 62, has Multiple Sclerosis and severe diabetes. A vocal advocate for seniors and people with complex medical needs, she strongly opposes the province’s new bill, but was unable to express herself on the day of this interview due to her condition.
"She has more pain, she's more stressed, more anxious, more frustrated," Sinclair said. "To hear her cry because she's in pain, and it's simply because of the move, it affects her physical and mental health."
Other advocates have also been highly critical of Bill 7.
"Not only is it unfair, it's immoral and I wish these politicians would spend a month in these long-term care homes and see what's going on. It's atrocious, it's an abomination and people deserve better than that in their dying days," said Lorraine Laframboise, a seniors' and vulnerable population advocate.
Laframboise spent over 20 years working and volunteering with seniors and vulnerable people. She’s worried now about what she calls a declining health care system, and what it means for her and her husband.
"Every day, we do not have children so our support system is our friends, and they're in their 70s, they won't be able to take care of us,” said Laframboise.
For those like Henry impacted already by the province's new plan, a call for action and change to a policy that has them feeling unheard and forgotten.
"She feels like a piece of furniture just being moved around, without concern about their physical, mental or emotional health," Sinclair said.
In a statement to CTV News, Ontario’s Ministry of Health and Long-term Care says the policy was designed to “free up hospital beds” and that “a hospital is not a home.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Couple randomly attacked, 1 stabbed, by group of teens in Toronto, police say
A man has been transported to hospital after police say he was stabbed in a random attack carried out by a group of teens in Toronto on Friday night.
Ron Ellis, who played over 1,000 games with Maple Leafs, dead at 79
Ron Ellis, who played over 1,000 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs and was a member of Canada's team at the 1972 Summit Series, has died at age 79.
Fort Nelson, B.C., wildfire doubles in size as 3,000-plus ordered to evacuate
The wildfire that sparked Friday and caused evacuation orders for more than 3,000 people in Fort Nelson, B.C., and the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has grown to nearly 1,700 hectares in size, according to a Saturday morning update from the BC Wildfire Service.
Dutch contestant kicked out of Eurovision hours before tension-plagued song contest final
Hours before the final, Dutch contestant Joost Klein was dramatically booted out by organizers over a backstage incident. He had failed to perform at two dress rehearsals on Friday, and contest organizer the European Broadcasting Union said it was investigating an "incident."
IN PHOTOS Northern lights dance across the night sky in southern Ont.
From London, to Mildmay, Collingwood and St. Thomas, here are some highlights of Friday night and Saturday morning's northern lights display.
Haitians demand the resignation and arrest of the country's police chief after a new gang attack
A growing number of civilians and police officers are demanding the dismissal and arrest of Haiti's police chief as heavily armed gangs launched a new attack in the capital of Port-au-Prince, seizing control of yet another police station early Saturday.
opinion How to use your credit card as a powerful wealth-building tool
Irresponsibly using a credit card can land you in financial trouble, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew says when used properly, it can be a powerful wealth-building tool that can help grow your credit profile and create new opportunities.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
'We have no judge for you': Man's assault charges dropped weeks before trial due to lack of judges in Toronto
A man who was accused of sexually and physically assaulting a woman had his charges dropped in April, just weeks before he was set to stand trial in Toronto, due to a lack of judges in the region.