“I believe December 2024 took the prize for the most demoralizing reports of neglect, abuse and reprisal in the Ontario long-term care sector. All made me wonder: What is it going to take to sort it all out?
Some argue that resolving this mess would require a massive investment of money the government doesn’t have. The reality, though, is that millions of taxpayer dollars have been awarded to private for-profit long-term care corporations, without any evidence of a corresponding improvement in the quality of care.
It may be commendable to provide funding for the construction of new, more modern homes to resolve capacity issues, but it’s far from a complete solution. If the level of care within these new homes is no better than what we’ve seen in the older facilities, are we really making progress?”
Earlier this year, Concerned Friends member and long-term care advocate Lise Cloutier-Steele shared her thoughts in an article featured in both the Ottawa Citizen and Divine Magazine. We want to share this with you as engaged citizens and encourage you to add your voice to ours in advocating for systemic thinking and better solutions for current and future residents of Long-Term Care.
Lise Cloutier-Steele is an Ottawa writer and the author of There’s No Place Like Home: A guide to help caregivers manage the long-term care experience available from www.ottawacaregiver.com.
