Torture or death seem to be the only two options for seniors trapped in our long term care homes. The blame for this falls squarely on the shoulders of governments. Not society, not greedy corporations, not selfish children, the ones who have the power are in GOVERNMENT.
Via CBC
Residents of Ontario’s long-term care homes begged on Tuesday to be allowed outside, saying anti-pandemic restrictions that have confined them indoors for more than a year make no sense given almost all have now been vaccinated.
Some compared their situations to solitary confinement, and urged the provincial government to act on what they called a gross violation of their basic human rights.
Chuck Ferkranus, a resident of a home in Newmarket, Ont., said no one in the building has COVID-19 and yet residents are stuck in their rooms. Ferkranus, who challenged those in authority to live as he does for even a week, said residents are being treated worse than criminals.
“We did nothing wrong; we’re not guilty of any crime,” he said. “If vaccinations don’t end the rules, if no one having COVID doesn’t end the restrictions, then what does it take before this comes to an end?”
Many of an estimated 150,000 nursing home residents have been confined to their rooms or floors for as long as 15 months now, cut off from most relatives as well as the outdoors. Activists blame extreme staffing shortages and operators who prioritize corporate needs ahead of the welfare of residents.
I know of several people who I’ve thought for years already should probably be in some kind of assisted living arrangement who have opted to remain in their own homes. Turns out they were right. As frail as they are they’re still better off looking after themselves.
What does this mean moving forward? Why would anyone want to wind up in one of these places after what we’ve just witnessed over the past year?
I keep waiting for some Civil rights group to lodge a class action suit on the elderly’s behalf, it appears the media nor government care about the elderly.
The unaccountable senior bureaucrats and their enforcement minions are the ones responsible for this mess. The politicians are complicit in that they forgot we elected them to represent our interests before the bureaucrats and not the other way around.
The facile reply to the title is, “Why not both?” Why should government limit itself to one or the other, when they get off on both.
What happened to seniors in LTC in ON and PQ should have people arrested and incarcerated for murder or negligent homicide. The higher in the food chain the better. Neither Legault’s or Ford’s governments should survive this, let alone their public-health apparatchiks.
Not all long term care homes are the hell holes described here. My 95 year old mother has been treated lovingly and with compassion at her [80 bed] level 4 home in Saskatoon. The staff are amazing and make every effort to provide an enriched and safe environment.
It’s been heartbreaking not to be able to visit Mom for the past year, and with her cognitive deterioration she likely still doesn’t understand why no family is visiting like we used to, but the staff arrange FaceTime visits, and send photos of Mom on a semi-regular basis. Still, it’s a hell of a way to wind up a life well lived.
If your mother has not been able to see her family in a year she is being abused and neglected no matter how lovingly and compassionately the staff in her home are treating her.
With no family members or friends to drop in unexpectedly, nursing home staff will be much less likely to behave as admirably as you expect. The levels of abuse have to be off the chart.
I will always believe that my father died not with Covid, but the gov’t mandated effect of Covid: loneliness.
It was and is cruel and inhumane to deprive these citizens – the one’s we pay lip service to, as Canada’s greatest generation – of love and companionship when it is about all they have left in life. Take that away and what is the point of living? Even the gentle release of death is denied as they are fed, watered and changed but isolated and ignored. It’s apparently up to God to determine their release from the purgatory of ‘government care’.
In my Dad’s case, he eventually gave up and stopped eating despite it being one of the few pleasures remaining to him. He always had a good appetite and each of his kids would stop by with ‘treats’ from Dairy Queen which we’d enjoy with him. Then it all came to an end, including his life, some four months later. Now, we’re not complaining that he was “taken too soon”, as he was 98. But he was healthy overall, robust and in good humour.
It was so difficult to have to peer through a window, watching his decline. So near and yet so far. Just one of hundreds of thousands of people who gave birth to each of us, raised and nurtured us and gave so much before we allowed authority to abandon them. Oh well. That’ll be a lot loss paid out in CPP and OAS and for many an earlier than anticipated inheritance, so there’s that.
Why don’t the residents leave ?
I don’t understand why they don’t just walk out the door take a bus to wherever?
Our Government terrified that these fully vaccinated Seniors catch and spread this virus again like they did in BC.
Keep them locked up and blame variants later when they catch this again.
The residents are institutionalized. They got there by giving up their rights and signing themselves over to these places. Sometimes they were placed there by force against their wishes because some hospital social worker decided they knew best. Event their families can’t just waltz in and take them out. They are owned by the homes. Family members who try it have the police called on them and they are banned from entering the home again with threat of arrest and imprisonment for trespassing. Residents who just up and leave are returned by force to these homes by police. Were you not aware of this?
When it comes to governments promising action on senior care in long term facilities, also called “homes”, they are all talk and no action. We simply put up with it and vote for more.
“Why would anyone want to wind up in one of these places after what we’ve just witnessed over the past year?”
Remember how those who expressed any reservations about the safety measures of the past year were accused of wanting to send Gramma and Grand-pa to an early death. Death and early check-out is what we are seeing in these care homes.
My sister who lives on the west coast has reached the point where she probably should be in a care home but has declined their offers.
Rather than exist locked inside a care home she takes a taxi to the restaurant to buy her meals and if it’s raining, eats her food in the rain because of the latest safety measures. ‘Dignity’ courtesy of our caring governments.
IMHO, you people are all thinking about this the wrong way.
Think of it as a promotional campaign for euthanasia and grounds to further lessen the MAID criteria.
No one has to hear any more complaints from the elderly or their families…the government gets big savings…and they can use those savings to boost salaries for the bureaucrats.
Everyone wins!
The whole scenario reminds me of the “Quietus” from the P.D. James’ novel “Children of Men”. Because no more children were being born, there was an excess of senior citizens and the government would put them in life boats (a misnomer if there ever was one) and row them out to the middle of the English Channel (novel takes place in the U.K.) where they would be left to die.
I tell all that the deaths of old people is a feature not a “bug” of the fake pandemic.
I love P.D. James and finally read “The Children of Men” last year, during lockdown. I thought it was interesting that the Warden of England was named Xan (20 years before Xi became President). Alas, the movie was a disappointment (Clive Owen notwithstanding).
Mark Steyn penned a nice tribute to to P.D. James last year:
https://www.steynonline.com/10509/a-baroness-on-barrenness
(applause)
How right you are.
Was speaking with an acquaintance a few days ago who related that his mother-in-law had just died at the age of 84 here in Alberta. Although not in the best of health, she was doing fine but a month ago stated to her family that she no longer wanted to live. She let her family know that she could no longer face the loneliness and the continued isolation from her children and grandchildren. To say he is angry is an understatement.
Although I’m sure that many staff at seniors facilities are doing everything possible, facetime, photos and phone calls are no substitute for a loving hug from family. Physical contact is essential for physical and mental health. And yes, this falls entirely on the actions of our governments.
I think if you armed them they’d break through the Nazi lines.
My Mom (85) died last year during lockdown. She was in hospice, and we the family were told that we could not see her. I took my 91 year old Dad with me, and we saw her. Multiple times over her last several weeks. It wasn’t too difficult. I just explained in my inimical way that they did not have enough security to stop us. Nor should they want to. In fact, staff got quite reasonable at that point. They tried to enforce what they knew were stupid rules, and when challenged they agreed the rule was stupid, and they were capable of making decisions and being accountable for them.
As a nation we are law abiding, with a great deal of respect for authority. More than anything else, I believe, this is what makes us different from Americans. A lot of times that is a good trait. And sometimes it isn’t – when we become lemmings, and accept everything the lying bastards say to us, we are sealing our own doom. I was a cop for a long time, all over the country. I was always astounded at what people let us get away with – legal things I’m talking about, but still, the unquestioning obedience was always surprising.
JCS, guess you and I never crossed paths then:-)))
Calls on the phone are keeping my 87 year old mother somewhat ok.
She’s in a good private residence that had only a couple brief cases.
My sister is allowed to visit once a week for an hour or takes her out for a doctor visit.
With the lockdown, I and other siblings can’t go on the property for even a window visit.
She was offered by many of her children including me to come live with us but turned us down.
Everyone in all three levels of government can eat shit.
They don’t serve the public.
They serve their time until they get their pension.
Politicians are sub-humans.
Unfortunately, Ford and the rest of the politicians are scared shitless, as the saying goes.
There is no way out lest they be blamed for the deaths.
They don’t seem to understand that people die, they just die, this is not to say that they need help from the government to get there.
One would think that the old people’s homes would be one of the best places to stop the damn Wuhan virus. In a controlled environment. As it seems now, they are doing it in over, way over way that is not helping anybody, though you may understand if one of those people dies, the media cartel will be there to damn Ford and the whole government that they did not stop it.
What the hell to do?
I ask.
Those that pretend to know, know nothing they just prophesize, they are asked questions, being so called ‘experts’ so they come up with answers they don’t know. If you say a lot of words that nobody can understand, well, you must be an expert. If you listen and watch closely, they do admit they don’t know, they just wrap it up in a lot of words of which most don’t mean anything though they sound sophisticated.
LEV, great post, and as some one who traveled around a lot “fixing stuff”, I can relate to your take on experts:-)))
I’m not sure if this is directly comparable but my cousin is living in an assisted living retirement apartment in suburban Montreal (operated by Chartwell, one of the largest in Canada). They were under a one month lockdown last April at the height of the first wave but since have enjoyed considerable freedom.. He can leave anytime for walks or go shopping for groceries although he has to take a taxi since he lost his driver’s license for medical reasons. I believe the only restriction is on visitors to the building.
I will never go voluntarily into one of these homes. When I had a mild stroke they were talking about it. Neither my wife or I wanted it. The hospital social worker actually forced my wife to prove she could care for me properly so I could “be released” to her care. That is what they say. You have to “be released”. She had to go through several hoops including renting a wheelchair I didn’t need and getting my son to lie that he was coming to live with us for a few weeks to be sure everything was fine. No one even asked me my opinion while I was lying there listening. I was assumed to be too stupid to consult. It’s not just with children that the government can swoop in and take you away to “foster care”. You get old and you’re in danger of that happening too.
One of my buddies had a bunch of social workers show up at his home, declare he was unfit to be living alone and physically carried him off to a home against his explicit wishes after a niece reported him for not having a clean enough apartment. It broke his heart. He had to abandon his pet cat. He is currently allowed one visitor and one visitor only, and only when they are not in a code red lockdown. The visit takes place in a truck trailer and staff supervise he visit and he has to sit a minimum of six feet away with a mask and staff ensure they don’t cheat on the separation. And who did the powers that be decide should be his one designated visitor? The niece because she’s his next of kin. How many times has she shown up in the last year? Once. I talk to him on the telephone. He’s going downhill rapidly. He hardly knows who I am when I call now.
“Why would anyone want to wind up in one of these places after what we’ve just witnessed over the past year?”
Why would anyone want to wind up in one of those places EVER?
As someone mentioned earlier, LTC is a hospice and it was a mess long before the Chinese Plague arrived. Based on what I observed and experienced during the 3-1/2 years my mother was in LTC (and it was good facility), torture and death have always been the two options: malnutrition and dehydration. I saw more food and drink thrown out than was ever consumed. My mother was hospitalized twice for dehydration. After that, we made sure someone was with her at dinner to make sure she ate and drank. Residents who couldn’t feed themselves weren’t always fed and watered very well, unless a loved one came to assist. So much neglect. Mom died January 1, 2020, surrounded by her family, and, as heartbreaking as it was, I am so glad it was pre-Plague. The separation and isolation would have been unbearable.
My mother-in-law is in LTC (another good facility) and we haven’t had a face-to-face visit since Christmas 2019. We had a window visit last week (we were outside) and it was heartbreaking to see the decline. She is overweight, bloated, and has dark circles under her eyes. She hasn’t had a haircut in ages. She spends most of the day in her room. I used to give her a mini-manicure when we’d visit, like I used to do for my own mother. That physical contact was so important, for both of us.
We, as a society, didn’t give a rat’s ass about seniors in LTC prior to Wu Flu. Out of sight, out of mind. Perhaps the seasonal flu and this current plague wouldn’t be so devastating in LTC if residents were properly nourished and hydrated. Good luck trying to hold anyone accountable. It’s just a never-ending blame game.
(applause)
I am sorry to hear of these things, Ontario Kate, but you are right. We ignore the elderly and other vulnerable people and are still doing it.
Thank you, Osumashi. And, I agree this country is in for a reckoning. I hope it is sooner, rather than later. This madness needs to end.
Oh, the reckoning will be something that the universe will level on us.
It won’t be pretty.
One of the saddest things I’ve read is the story of an elderly woman choosing to let doctors poison her (assisted suicide, my @$$) than return to her old age home. Her family approved whole-heartedly. If they were upset in the slightest, it was not recorded.
What difference does it make if the elderly can go outside? The whole point is to make them want death so that the government can Final Solution them off.
This country is in for a reckoning.
My 95 yo mother is in an assisted living Retirement Home, one of the better ones. It is a lovely place, well run and with excellent staff. At the start of the lockdowns last year we could only do ‘window visits’ which in reality are a cause of upset and frustration. All these old folk really want is a hug and kiss on a regular basis – waving through a window doesn’t cut it.
Last summer, the rules were relaxed to the point where she was allowed to sign out and come visit us at home, even overnight visits were allowed, but that would have been too difficult for my mother. Then everything got shut down again. I think the hardest time was Christmas: it was her first ever Christmas without any family. It was horrible for all of us. The staff did their best, but they are staff, not family. Many times my mother said she would rather die of the virus, than of loneliness.
We could, of course, phone her and we did so most days, but it was the physical contact she craved. She inevitably started to deteriorate mentally, and some days when we phoned she was clearly in another world – seemingly convinced that she was alone in the building, with no heat or light.
Recently, now that everyone in the place has been jabbed twice, they have started to allow visitors. They have set up a rapid testing program: I go in (no appointment, just show up) get poked up both nostrils, sit and wait for 10-15 minutes and then get handed a card showing a negative test and I can go find her (they still insist on masks and face shields). The test is good for two days, so if I go the next day, I just show the card and I can walk right in.
The difference in her is wonderful – almost back to her old self. Happy, fully aware of everything. Just because I go in there and give her the hugs and kisses she needs.
Anyone with an elderly relative understands this – how come nobody in Government does?
Mark, thank you for sharing this. I am so happy for you and your mother. What a difference human touch makes!
I’m reminded of those experiments some decades ago where babies were deprived of human touch. The results were devastating.
With few exceptions, we’re born with the need, and we die with the need (fulfilled or not). Cutting humans off from physical contact is abusive at its core. This has been known for centuries, hence the punishment of solitary, whether in prison or “go to your room”.
So are these people cruel, or are they just stupid?
I believe in assisted suicide, it saves a bullet that way!
Both my wife and I when we were younger worked in a care home, this was many decades ago, it’s where we first met. As we approach the age where we have to think about it we are universal in our refusal to go to any such ‘care home’. We will die in our home. And when the time comes we will decide when we leave this earth and join our loved ones.
My Dad broke his hip and is forced to stay at a nursing home for PT about 30 miles from where they live. Mom can’t visit him. No one can. He’s in utter misery. He despises the processes and buttonholes the director whenever he gets a chance. He likes the nursing staff since they’re young and female and seem to be taking good care of him. Oh, and the food is shite. His appetite has been waning for the last decade, but he can hardly eat anything they serve. He begs for PB&J. He’s in Southern California. We don’t know what in the hell to do. I worked out how to transport him here, but Mom’s not working with us. Brutal, man.