Continuing the conversation: Mobilizing collective action for long-term care reform in Canada

RNAO organized a path breaking Cross Country Meeting to engage Collective Action for Long-Term Care Reform in Canada on Monday, November 9. The overwhelming response and active engagement is indicative of the urgency and opportunity for collective action. To this end, we are hosting another Cross-Country Meeting. We will continue the conversation on Monday, December 14.

Nurses urge dedicated funding for infection prevention and control to combat wave of COVID-19 outbreaks in long-term care homes

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IPAC is a critical issue in long-term care (LTC) homes at all times and more so in the midst of a pandemic. With the rising death toll and insufficient nursing and other resources, IPAC is even more important. RNAO issued today a report and a media release with a survey on this life-and-death matter.

RNAO, once again, plays major role in the media during November

Today, we bring you a summary of RNAO’s media engagement for the month of November. Our extensive media exposure focused on key issues addressing the urgency of the pandemic situation. This includes the problematic provincial leadership in recent weeks; the auditor general’s report on the province’s handling of the pandemic; the ongoing crisis in long-term care; burnout among nurses and other healthcare workers; as well as the need for a #COVIDzero strategy. 

COVID-19 in long-term care: A nurse’s witness statement

Nurses and other healthcare workers in the frontlines of Ontario’s COVID-19 pandemic – especially in long term care, but increasingly in other sectors – are experiencing trauma. This is the result of sheer exhaustion, insufficient and late government action leading to escalating spread of COVID-19, episodes of public disregard for the necessary rules to contain the virus, and the excruciating loss of lives. And there is more – the muzzling of healthcare workers’ voices.

RNAO’s media conference to address the crisis in long-term care resonates widely

We were thrilled to host a media conference today Friday, alongside Sinai Health System geriatrician and powerful advocate Dr. Nathan Stall. This virtual event was crucial in our ongoing efforts to raise red flags and push for action that we hope will stop an evolving disaster in long-term care (LTC) homes similar to the one we saw during the first wave of COVID-19.

Fall 2020 provincial budget once again leaves vulnerable populations to fend for themselves

The Ontario government released on Wednesday the Fall 2020 Budget. RNAO participated in the “lockdown” prior to the release and has subsequently been heavily involved with the media coverage of the budget and its ramifications. As you can see below, the budget received low scores from RNAO.

RNAO statement in response to the government’s announcement on increasing direct care for long-term care resident to four hours per day

RNAO is shocked by the lack of urgency in Monday’s announcement from the provincial government that they intend to meet minimum quality care standards in Ontario’s nursing homes by 2025. Urgent action and not an election promise is needed to protect the lives of nursing home residents as the province is now in the grips of a ferocious resurgence of COVID-19.

2S-LGBTQ+ Seniors: Our Existence is Our Resistance!

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.