Pushing for a better quality of life for people living in long-term care homes.
Mini Queen’s Park in Thunder Bay was one of 17 locations in Ontario that held demonstrations Monday.
The event drew around 50 people, some of who shared their first hand experiences of having a loved one in LTC, or their difficulties working in the sector.
Some of the main focuses of the event included ending for profit LTC, increasing care levels and staffing needs, and reinstating surprise inspections.
Co-Chair with the Thunder Bay Health Coalition Jules Tupker explains why it was so important to get involved in the call to action.
“The aging population in Ontario is growing, and there’s a lot of us old folks that are around these days and we’re going to be involved in long-term care we just know that, and the way it’s heading now is just not the direction we want it to end up at, and that’s why I’ve been involved with this. It’s a very important issue right now.”
The protest comes as Ontario announced on Friday that they were implementing a vaccine policy for workers in the sector.
Tupker was critical of current and past government’s handling of LTC homes, but did say this was a step in the right direction.
“I think it’s a wonderful idea, I think all long-term care workers have to have shots, it’s as simple of that,” says Tupker. “If they don’t want to have shots, the chances of them infecting people in the home, especially seniors in long-term care, they’re vulnerable. The people in long-term care that are healthy are few and far between, they all have a lot of issues they’re dealing with. We need them protected as much as we can.”
Demonstrations were also held in Toronto, London, and Ottawa.
Around 50 people attended the demonstration at Mini Queen’s Park
