The daughter of a Southbridge Roseview resident is among those sharing painful stories of family members in long-term care homes during the second wave of the pandemic.
Debbie Shubat spoke on a Zoom call Friday hosted by the Ontario Health Coalition featuring other relatives of residents, and representatives from 100 organizations from across the province.
Shubat lives on St. Joseph Island and says none of her family members have been able to visit her mother Amy since the outbreak began on November 18th.
She adds that her mother’s condition has worsened during the lockdown, explaining that Amy is no longer able to speak or swallow solid food.
She emphasizes she’s worried about her mother and is desperate to see her.
“I can’t stop thinking about her, I dream about her, and it has been my living nightmare for all these months,” Shubat says.
Shubat notes she doesn’t blame staff for the two-month long outbreak, but she wants answers about why it has lasted longer and affected more residents than COVID-19 outbreaks at other area homes.
“I’ve been so pleased with what the staff has been able to do, both PSWs as well as the clinical staff, the medical staff, the dietician, etcetera. But this is inhumane, and it’s gone on far too long,” Shubat stressed.
“I want to say to Doug Ford and [Minister of Long-Term Care] Merrilee Fullerton, the “Iron Ring” [protecting long-term care residents] is not there, was not there, and we are devastated,” she adds.
Southbridge spokesperson Candace Chartier has admitted the deadly outbreak has been hard on everyone.
“Everybody knows we’ve lost some of our cherished residents and it has been devastating for us and our families,” said Chartier in an earlier comment to Acadia Broadcasting.
Southbridge says they have been meeting daily with health officials to assess its infection control measures, staffing, and PPE levels.
