MINDEN, ON – The Ontario government’s so-called “action plan” for health care, released last week, lacks the long-promised minimum standard of care for the province’s 85,000 residents of long-term care (LTC), advocates will say at a Minden media conference Thursday, February 9.
The Liberal government first promised a legislated care standard in 2003. Years later, residents, most of whom are 85 years old or older, are still waiting. Many of them are quite frail, and most of them have complex medical needs. They deserve a minimum standard of care of 3.5 hours of direct care per day, LTC direct care workers will say at Thursday’s media conference.
WHAT: “3.5 Hours of Care” media event on long-term care. Includes a six-minute video featuring LTC workers.
WHO: Candace Rennick, Secretary-Treasurer, CUPE Ontario; Karen Popadynetz, Personal Support Worker (PSW); and Sharon Crowe, front-line LTC worker, Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU)
WHERE: Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 636, 12847 Highway 35 Minden, ON
WHEN: Thursday, February 9, 2012, at 10 a.m.
Direct care LTC workers are reaching out to their provincial Members of Parliament (MPP) to urge them to make it a priority to develop a minimum care standard in the upcoming Legislative session.
A meeting with Progressive Conservative Laurie Scott (Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock) is scheduled for February 17, 9:30 a.m., at the MPP’s Lindsay constituency office, 14 Lindsay Street North.
LTC workers say action on a daily 3.5 hours hands-on care standard is needed now. Residents have waited long enough, they say.
For more information, please contact:
David Robbins, Communications, CUPE Ontario, 613-878-1431, drobbins@cupe.on.ca
Visit cupe.on.ca/timetocare for more on the need for a minimum care standard in LTC