Canada will help 'heroes' working in long-term care homes, says seniors minister
Deb Schulte says she's ‘incredibly inspired’ by care workers' dedication, despite their low pay
Federal Minister of Seniors Deb Schulte says her mother-in-law and father-in-law are currently in long-term care home and she has been "dealing with all the same challenges that you're hearing about."
According to data collected by the federal government, close to half of all COVID-19 deaths in Canada — a toll that stood at more than 1,000 as of Wednesday — have occurred in long-term care facilities.
In Ontario, 114 of the facilities are now dealing with outbreaks, with three centres reporting more than 20 deaths each. Premier Doug Ford likened the situation to a "wildfire," promising to dispatch hospital-based teams to tackle the problem.
Prime Minister Justine Trudeau said at his daily press conference on Wednesday that he will be speaking with premiers on Thursday about how the federal government can support them in their responsibilities toward their care homes.
Schulte spoke to As It Happens guest host Piya Chattopadhyay about what that help might look like. Here is part of their conversation.
What kind of support is the prime minister going to be offering to the premiers when they talk about care homes?
The first initiative that we had to try and help was to provide interim guidelines that we posted as of last Saturday to help long-term care facilities in provinces and territories, who have the jurisdiction over these facilities, to enact measures that will help keep staff and residents safe.
We have also been working around the clock, as you are aware, to procure important [personal protective] equipment that's required in those guidelines. They were focused, at first, on going into hospitals because we thought that was where the surge was going to be, but I understand provinces are now directing … this PPE over to long-term care [facilities] to make sure that they can properly protect their residents.
It has been an issue [with] some staff moving between residences because they are part-time and they need to make a living wage. The recommendations in the guidelines is that we don't do that.
Let me hop in here, because the prime minister, as you heard him say, is talking about the "heroes" who do the actual work in what are now dangerous care homes. Some of those people … might make more by taking the [Canada emergency response benefit] than what they earn from working. So what kind of incentive do they need at this point to do the work?
What's been announced is that you can get the CERB if you're making under $1,000. That's going to be a big help to those that are trying to decide between whether they continue to do the heroic work that they've been doing on the front line, keeping people safe and looking after our loved ones, or staying home.
I have to say, I'm incredibly inspired by the dedication and commitment of our heroes who are out there making sure, despite the low incomes they're getting.
Our colleague David Common, reported this morning that the Ontario government only gave a so-called resident quality inspection to nine out of the hundreds of homes in the province. Is the prime minister only going to be talking about money, or is it time for Ottawa to take a leadership role to make sure our seniors who are in these homes get the care they need?
There's no doubt that what has happened has shown some opportunities for improvement in the system. But it is [under] provincial and territorial jurisdiction and ... the best way to move forward is not to be fighting over whose jurisdiction it is, [but] to be working together.
And that's exactly what we're doing. We're taking a Team Canada approach. It isn't about who is in control. They're in control and we are there to offer support. We've given money directly to the provinces to help early on in this pandemic and now we're looking to directly support the workers.
As you have mentioned, these care homes are a provincial jurisdiction. But we are seeing all kinds of challenges in many of them, no matter what province they are in. What would you say to those who are in those homes tonight or who have family in them who just want someone to stand up and take responsibility?
I would like to assure them that everybody is deeply seized and engaged on this and making sure that we have the measures, the equipment and the people in place to make sure that they are safe.
There are many excellent long-term care facilities and assisted living facilities that are working and have worked to make sure that they've had protocols in place that have kept the residents safe.
I would suggest that they make sure they stay in close contact with those homes, that they are talking to them constantly. I know many homes are working hard to build that connection with family members and the residents inside.
Written by Adam Jacobson. Produced by Kevin Robertson. Q&A has been edited for length and clarity.
