Rally to Support Extendicare Guildwood Residents
in Scarborough, Ontario
 
Rally at Guildwood Extendicare, June 12, 2020.
Friends and family members of residents at
Extendicare Guildwood long-term care home in
Scarborough are calling on the Ontario government
to step in and take control of that facility. On
Friday, June 12, they held a protest rally in
front of the home. They have also started a
Facebook page and issued a statement on the
appalling conditions at the facility.
The Guildwood Extendicare Family Support Group
came out in full support of the Service Employees
International Union's (SEIU) call for government
to take over long-term care services in Ontario.
In fact, the SEIU, citing a more than $10 million
dividend that Extendicare recently voted to pay
its shareholders, issued a demand that dividend
payments to long-term care operators should come
to an end given the state of affairs in long-term
care facilities across the country. SEIU
Healthcare President Sharleen Stewart said at the
time: "What I heard today from Extendicare was
both alarming and an affirmation of a truly ugly
long-term care system. Residents are getting sick
and dying. Workers are getting sick and dying.
Enough is enough. Corporate dividends from
companies like Extendicare, Chartwell, and Sienna,
can no longer be a part of the delivery of health
care equation."
The conditions at Extendicare Guildwood in
Scarborough are completely opposite to the way the
Ford government characterizes the situation in
long-term care. Premier Ford announced on June 11
that because "progress" has been made containing
COVID-19 outbreaks in long-term care facilities,
families would soon be able to visit their loved
ones, with strict distancing requirements in
place. There is absolutely no sense of shame or
accountability for what has happened to seniors in
long-term care.
The Guildwood Extendicare Family Support Group
paints a very different picture, one so dire that
it is enough to make one weep. Their statement
reads:
"As of June 10, there have been at least 54
deaths at the facility since the outbreak began
there in April. There were 159 residents before
the outbreak began which means a third of all
residents have died while 86 per cent of residents
have tested positive for COVID-19. Forty-two staff
members have also been diagnosed. By any objective
measure, Extendicare Guildwood is in crisis.
Family of seniors in Guildwood held an earlier
picket May 26, 2020.
"Attempts to contain the virus to a single wing
of the facility failed. Uninfected residents are
still living in close quarters with those infected
as the virus continues to infect all those within
the building. Families are terrified for their
loved ones. Both the Administrator and Director of
Care of Guildwood Extendicare contracted the virus
in the early days of the outbreak and have not yet
returned to work. At this time, it is unclear who
is in charge at Extendicare Guildwood. Management
have turned away an offer of assistance from the
Red Cross. Enhanced protective measures have not
been adopted. The lockdown has failed.
Their statement concludes:
"COVID-19 has shed light on numerous problems
with Ontario's care facilities for the vulnerable.
Changes to these facilities are critical to all
Canadians, as many face the reality of placing
beloved family members in long-term care or
entering such a residence themselves. Please help
us save our loved ones!
"We stand together to support one another and our
loved ones who depend on us to be their voices."
This article was published in
Number 41 - June 16, 2020
Article Link:
Rally
to Support Extendicare Guildwood Residents in
Scarborough, Ontario
Website: www.cpcml.ca
Email: editor@cpcml.ca
|
