GORE BAY—The Manitoulin Lodge Nursing Home in Gore Bay is hoping that support will be provided by area residents to help its letter-writing campaign to the government.
“We will be participating in the annual campaign by the Ontario Long-Term Care Association (OLTCA) in collecting signatures petitioning the government and the letter-writing campaign to advocate for additional resources,” Gloria Hall, activities co-ordinator at the Manitoulin Lodge told The Recorder last week. “With the Better Seniors Care campaign, we hope to receive a lot of local support from people signing the petition and taking part in the letter-writing campaign, and we will be sending these letters and petition to our MPP (Michael Mantha) to forward to the government, advocating to make our seniors a priority in the next provincial budget.”
The OLTCA is collecting signatures to advocate for additional resources. This year’s goal is to advocate for eliminating unnecessary government forms, get more funding for additional staff and provide assistance for senior homes that require building.
“We have to undergo a rebuild by 2025, as does the Wikwemikong Nursing Home,” said Ms. Hall.
The OLTCA in its 2019 budget submission outlined its priorities. “Hire more staff. Understaffed homes, overworked staff and rising rates of dementia and clinical complexity are putting a strain on today’s long-term care workers. Build and modernize homes: ensuring safety and quality of care that meets the needs of residents by rebuilding today’s homes and increasing capacity for tomorrow. Focus on care, not on unnecessary government paperwork. Over-regulation and compliance measures are affecting direct care hours.”
“It’s time to tell the Ontario government to support long-term care,” the OLTCA notes. “To enable a system-wide solution, Ontario’s government must add more staff to meet resident needs, support rebuilding existing homes and alleviate some of the demands of burdensome reporting in an already strained work environment. Make change happen by telling your local MPP that these issues matter to you.”
“Send a letter to your MPP. For the first time in 15 years there is a new government in Ontario. This change in government presents a rare opportunity to prompt change for seniors, for long-term care and for Ontario,” the OLTCA website continues.
Forms for the letter-writing campaign and petition can be found on the OLTCA website, or available at the Manitoulin Lodge.
