Ford's refusal to address LTC staff shortages is abandoning seniors before possible second wave: NDP

QUEEN'S PARK – The Ontario NDP's Long-term Care critic, Teresa Armstrong, released the following statement in response to an Ontario Health Coalition (OHC) survey that shows 95 per cent of long-term care staff report seniors' basic needs continue to go unmet due to staffing shortages:

"Thousands of families are grieving the loss of a loved one in long-term care, and countless more are wracked with worry over a relative who continues to live in long-term care during COVID-19. The OHC's finding that these facilities are more short-staff than ever is, sadly, not surprising.

The military and hospital teams have left long-term care, and staffing levels in many homes are lower than ever. Yet, as Ontario braces for a potential second wave of COVID-19, Doug Ford is parading on a vanity campaign tour.

Ford needs to mandate that enough staff be on each shift to offer at least four hours of hands-on care to each residents each day, and make PSW jobs full-time and better paid.

Ford's refusal to address critical staff shortages and protect our seniors is terrifying to the many Ontarians whose loved ones live in long-term care."