January 15th, 2021
January 15th, 2021
SUDBURY - The Ford government must provide immediate oversight of Amberwood Suites retirement home as their COVID outbreak has claimed the life of one resident, infected 31 other residents and three staff members, said local NDP MPPs, Jamie West (Sudbury) and France Gélinas (Nickel Belt).
“Today’s death is tragic and alarming. Families are worried about their vulnerable loved ones. They were not provided with information on the situation as it was emerging. They didn't know how many had been affected, if their loved ones were among those affected and what steps the retirement home was taking,” said MPP West.
“It was painful to hear stories of residents left without essential care. Residents were left in their beds for days, unable to get help. Residents are stressed, they are scared and they are worried,’’ said MPP Gélinas.
One resident has died after 11 residents were transferred to Health Sciences North. The remaining 21 are being cared for in their unit at Amberwood. Gélinas and West said the Ford government must provide oversight of the retirement home now to ensure the safety of residents and stop the spread of COVID-19. They called on Ford to reverse the previous Liberal government’s decision to allow the retirement home sector to self-regulate, a measure Gélinas and the NDP opposed in 2010. Andrea Horwath and the NDP have been calling for the Retirement Homes Regulatory Authority to be replaced with a body that has actual oversight and enforcement powers, before more seniors are put at risk.
“Retirement home residents are often frail seniors who deserve government oversight, accountability and protection,” said MPP Gélinas. “If this was a long-term care home the outbreak would have been on the government website at least, but because it is a retirement home, worried loved ones waited for days to get any information. They got more information from the local media than Autumnwood Mature Lifestyle, the company that owns Amberwood Suites.”
According to the Auditor General’s most recent investigation, many retirement home residents have complex needs similar to those in long-term care homes, but their care is not afforded the same oversight that is supposed to be provided by the provincial government in long-term care.
“This is simply unacceptable. If nothing else this pandemic has shown us that retirement home owners should be accountable to their residents and should be subject to far greater provincial government regulation and oversight to keep Ontario seniors safe,” said MPP West. “The hard-earned money seniors pay to live in these retirement homes should be spent on resident safety, not corporate profits.”
West and Gélinas thanked the community health care providers who mobilized quickly to care for the residents affected by the outbreak, including the North East Specialized Geriatric Centre headed by Dr. Clark, local paramedics, St. Joseph's Villa/Continuing Care Centre, HSN among others. The residents of Amberwood that have tested positive for COVID, all have an individual care plan and are being looked after by this team.