Concerns grow over staffing Ontario long-term care centres

Several outbreaks of COVID-19 in long-term care facilities and retirement residences across the provincehave prompted the Ontario government to ease restrictions on staffing inside these facilities.

But these changesare raising concerns about the quality of care for seniors during this pandemic.

The Ontario government order allows long-term care facilities to reassign contractors or volunteers to do work normally carried out by other staff members.

"Long-term care homes will be able to respond to, prevent and alleviate an outbreak of COVID-19 by carrying out measures such as employing extra part-time or temporary staff or contractors using volunteers to perform work, including to perform bargaining unit work," according to the recent Ontario government announcement.

Marissa Lennox, chief policy officer at the CARPadvocacy group for Canadian seniors, is concernedthe government's new order will simply open the door for unqualified and untrained workers who don't have healthcare experience.

"We know that those in long-term care have such severe and complex needs and are so vulnerable in this environment," said Lennox.

"We have a lot of questions about how we ensure that residents' and staff safety and security is not sacrificed by this decision."

Another concern is the removal of requirements for reporting incidents at the facilities, according to CARP.

But groups representing seniors residences and long-term care centres welcome the loosening of staffing restrictions.

Flexibility is crucial

Flexibility of staffing is crucial as more workers get sick or are required to go into self-isolationaccording to Lisa Levins, CEO of AdvantAge, which represents 400 seniors housing providers across Ontario.

"If push comes to shove and a home just cannot get enough personal support workers in, then they will have to bring in other people," said Levins.

"For example, developmental service workers or foreign trained professional health care workers."

In Ottawa, there are currently COVID-19 outbreaks in fourlong-term care or retirement centres.

Facilities for seniors in Perth, Pembroke and Almonte are also dealing with cases of both residents and or staff getting sick.

• Outbreaks declared atseniors' homes, long-term care facility in Ottawa

On Tuesday, Ontario premierDoug Ford told reporters that seniors in the province must be protected "at all cost", noting his own mother-in-law is in a facility under lockdown.

His government has made several announcements over the past week to assist long-term care facilities that are coping with the threat or reality of COVID-19 cases,including changes to who is tested.