Community advocates and families of adults with severe disabilities in Montreal are calling on the Quebec government to reverse a recent decision to cut the most disabled clients from Miriam Home’s day program.
Families were told last fall to expect a massive reduction of service within weeks. While Quebec has agreed to put a temporary halt to the cuts, many want a guarantee from the government that services will not stop for the most vulnerable clientele.
A total of 123 adults with severe physical and intellectual disabilities may soon be excluded from Miriam Home’s day program.
Toby Benlolo’s 28-year-old son Joshua is visually impaired and intellectually disabled. He’s unable to work and has been receiving rehabilitation services through Miriam Home since the age of 21.
“Because of his limitation, he’s only able to go to a day program that keeps him occupied and I feel that he’s learned a lot,” Benlolo said. “My concern is that he should have somewhere to go to be occupied and not just be a vegetable.”
The parents of 27-year-old Richard Stern are also outraged. They signed a petition that was submitted to the National Assembly earlier this month, demanding a moratorium.
“I want to tell the minister that handicapped people need services no matter how handicapped they are,” Shelley Alper Stern told Global News. “They’re trying to prioritize high-functioning ones with people with no potential but every individual needs services and needs a program and a purpose in life.”
Social Services Minister Lucie Charlebois wasn’t available to comment on Wednesday but her spokesperson confirmed that the cuts have been put on hold pending a consultation and analysis by Quebec’s health ministry.
The West Central Montreal Health CIUSSS that oversees Miriam Home released the following statement to Global News:
“All existing services offered by Miriam Centre are maintained for the time being. A consultation process is taking place to get feedback from all the families, clients, professionals and community partners of the Miriam Centre. It is only at the completion of that process that we will determine what alternatives exist or could be developed and what changes will take place.”
But community advocates deplore the fact Autism Montreal and other members of Miriam Home’s users’ committee haven’t been invited to take part in the consultation to voice their concerns.
“It’s unethical what Miriam Home is intending to do,” Electra Dalamagas of Autism Montreal said. “If you take away the rehab services for this population, what ends up happening is they lose whatever skills they’ve acquired at an exponential rate.”
Another big concern is that cutting the day program at Miriam Home will end up targeting the most vulnerable members of Montreal’s English-speaking and Jewish communities. B’nai Brith has worked hard for years to support the day program.
“It makes a huge difference to their therapy and we’ve seen the therapists at work who are so professional,” Brith said.
Quebec’s regional director Harvey Levine added, “We’d be very disappointed and distressed if in fact those services were cut.”
Community advocates and parents are committed to keeping up the fight until the government puts a stop to its cost-cutting plans.
“It would be a big loss if he was stuck at home all day long with nothing to do,” Stern said. “We’re being very proactive because we want to speak on behalf of these people who can’t speak for themselves.”
- Budget 2024 failed to spark ‘political reboot’ for Liberals, polling suggests
- Train goes up in flames while rolling through London, Ont. Here’s what we know
- Peel police chief met Sri Lankan officer a court says ‘participated’ in torture
- Wrong remains sent to ‘exhausted’ Canadian family after death on Cuba vacation
Comments