February 13, 2025
Stop warehousing older adults
Ontario has displayed a singular lack of vision in supporting and housing its older population.
Ontario has displayed a singular lack of vision in supporting and housing its older population.

The pandemic has shone a spotlight on Ontario’s sad state of services and supports for older adults, focusing on a long-term care institutional sector shown to be archaic and a danger to the health and safety of residents.

Institutionalization is considered inhumane for every other age group in Ontario. A former premier apologized for mistreatment of people with developmental disabilities in institutions like Huronia after survivors launched a class-action lawsuit. That same firm has now served notice to the province that it is commencing a class proceeding against it on behalf of residents of long-term care facilities alleging that Ontario has failed to oversee these facilities, and this has resulted in widespread and avoidable illness, suffering and loss of life during the pandemic.

It is about time because these institutions were in trouble well before the pandemic.

Inspection reports describe a litany of abuse, neglect, medication errors, preventable falls resulting in serious injuries, poor wound care, dirty environments, and buildings in a state of disrepair, among many other things. A recent military report detailed even more deplorable conditions.

None of this came as any surprise to anyone familiar with this system.

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