We are grateful to the Senior Pride Network Toronto for their tremendously important contribution – below – calling to recognize the human rights of older 2-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, queer and intersex (2S-LGBTQ+) people in the City of Toronto, in particular those who reside in a long-term care home. We hear the call of the authors that the first step is to acknowledge the existence of people who have been discriminated and ignored, and consequently have suffered the health impacts of that neglect. We hope this article makes a small contribution to that goal.

RNAO statement in support of Bill 13: Time to Care Act RNAO applauds members of the Ontario legislature for acting unanimously and in the best interests of residents in long-term care (LTC) homes by voting in favour of Bill 13 on Oct. 29, 2020. RNAO fully supports Bill 13 and urges the government to move this bill quickly through the legislative process so it becomes law. The private member’s bill, introduced by London-Fanshawe NDP MPP Teresa Armstrong in 2018, passed second reading and now goes to committee. It calls for amendments to the Long-Term Care Homes Act to establish a minimum of four worked hours of nursing and personal support services per resident, per day – in all Ontario nursing homes. Bill 13 takes us one step closer to RNAO’s vision of safer, higher quality and evidence-based care as laid out in its Nursing Home Basic Care Guarantee. If passed, this bill will help improve the safety and quality of care for residents and will address long-standing, severe staffing shortfalls resulting from decades of policy and funding inaction.

I am extremely humbled and honoured to share that I was the recipient this week of The American Academy of Nursing (AAN) COVID-19 Courage Award on Policy. These awards “honor the incredible contributions nurses, have made to save lives, advance health equity, and protect communities during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.” Colleagues, I dedicate this award to you all.

RNAO continues to speak out in the media about issues related to COVID-19 and our calls to the Ontario and federal governments for action regarding the alarming rise in the pandemic wave. This month, we focused primarily on two key issues: tightening restrictions in regional hotspots to slow the spread of the virus, and addressing the renewed and predictable crisis in long-term care (an issue we’ve been pushing for months – and years!). The RNAO COVID-19 press room has links to 42 media hits so far in the month of October.

RNAO continues to speak out in the media about issues related to COVID-19 and our calls to the Ontario and federal governments for action regarding the alarming rise in the pandemic wave. This month, we focused primarily on two key issues: tightening restrictions in regional hotspots to slow the spread of the virus, and addressing the renewed and predictable crisis in long-term care (an issue we’ve been pushing for months – and years!).

In our report last week we confronted the fact that patient-centred care can be a reality or a dream. RNAO’s work with Ontario Health Teams on person-and-family centred-care was at the centre of a BPSO OHT four hour meeting a few weeks ago, and here we have another glimpse, arising from that meeting, on what person-and-family-centred care looks like from the field. The following is a contribution from Judy Smith, who shares a story about her mother-in-law Reta.

As our readers are aware, RNAO has been at the forefront of the demand to establish national standards in LTC, given the failure of provincial governments to act – for two decades – and the tragedy brought by the pandemic as a result. This week, RNAO wrote again to the prime minister and to Premier Doug Ford in anticipation of their meeting reiterating the urgency to establish standards. See the October 14 letter below.

Our experience over the last seven months has demonstrated that this is not only a problem in Ontario. COVID-19 swept through LTC homes across the country early, taking the lives of more than 5,000 residents. That number represents more than 80 per cent of all COVID-19-related deaths in Canada. To our shame, the average percentage of COVID-19-related deaths among nursing home residents across other Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries was less than half of Canada’s. This is a national failing that cries out for a national response.

RNAO’s work with Ontario Health Teams on person-and-family centred-care was at the centre of a BPSO OHT meeting two weeks ago. Please get a real glimpse of what person-and-family-centred care looks like from the field by reading the two contributions shared below from a caregiver and a health provider. The first one, by Mik Phipps, is a glimpse into person-centred-care at its best – and how small actions can have enormous meaning. The second, contributed by Helen Lascelle, shares an experience where patient-centred-care was a dream, not a reality.