Inside a room on the third floor of the Isabel and Arthur Meighen Long-Term Care Home in midtown Toronto, Teresa Brown lies in a bed talking periodically out loud to her children and grandchildren who have been watching her remotely from the camera on a tablet they’ve set up on a bedside table.
The 105-year-old is the grandmother of Patrick Brown, the mayor of Brampton, who told Global News that he, like the rest of the family, is concerned.
“I’m hesitant to talk about my own worries, but obviously this keeps me up at night. It’s very stressful,” he said.
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The home is in the midst of a COVID-19 outbreak. According to the Salvation Army, which runs the nursing home, 34 residents have died. Seventy-four others have tested positive for coronavirus as have 26 staff members.
Teresa’s family is so concerned about the conditions inside the facility that they and the families of three other residents have written to the home’s administrators, The Salvation Army and Ontario’s health minister to formally complain about the staff shortage. They asked for the province to step in.
“The night before last, I saw her lying in only a diaper and a shirt, no sheet on her, crying out for water for over an hour and a half — imploring God to bring her water, imploring him not to abandon her. It’s devastating,” said Ella Soper, Teresa’s granddaughter.
The video obtained by Global News shows Teresa on half of the screen. While the audio was distorted, she can be heard saying something about water. Soper can then be heard telling her grandmother, “I’m here to keep you safe. I’m watching over you.”
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In another video, Soper said you can see soup being delivered and left in her grandmother’s room. He said Teresa is blind and unable to eat it on her own.
The email sent by the families on Thursday said they would like to file a formal complaint against Meighen Manor for the consistent and ongoing inability to provide adequate staffing for the safety of its residents, which has led to the neglect of the residents.
“Just as it would be unthinkable to provide apologies instead of staffing for newborn infants, it is equally as abhorrent to do the same with helpless elderly,” it said.
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Salvation Army Lt. Col. John Murray told Global News that the care of residents at Meighen Manor is of utmost concern and said the administration is in regular constant contact with the Ministry of Health.
Murray said they are working with Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and to fill staff shortages have drawn on members of the Salvation Army clergy.
“We’ve brought in 27 Salvation Army-officer personnel last week, fully trained and working every day,” said Murray.
Patrick Brown said he is very worried about his grandmother, who turns 106 in two weeks.
“What I’ve heard from the caregivers, at first they didn’t have personal protective equipment, thank God they do now. But it was only after they had to revolt on their own,” he said.
“Now I’m hearing that the staff shortages have led to a standard of care that’s not acceptable — whether it’s being down a third of the PSWs or not having the nursing support that they require.
Don’t get me wrong, there are some amazing caregivers in this home, but they have too much on their plate and you have seniors right now that aren’t getting basic care whether it’s being changed, or given water, and that’s not acceptable”
Health Minister Christine Elliott was also asked about the email and if she was aware of the complaints from some residents at Meighen Manor.
Elliott said they have already brought Canadian Armed Forces personnel into five long-term care homes and are constantly looking at ways to fill staff shortages in other homes.
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“I know that there are many families that are upset about this,” she said.
“I don’t blame them, but we are taking action. We are going to resolve this situation. We are going to make sure that there’s staff in there to attend to their needs.
Meanwhile, Patrick Brown said he knows his grandmother has had a long life but that it’s not fair she has to spend her final few years like this.
“As we judge ourselves on this pandemic, I think one of the gaping holes is how we’ve treated the elderly in this country and I see it first-hand through my own grandmother,” he said.
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