A Toronto man is taking a stand in response to the damning military report on despicable conditions in Ontario's long-term care homes, which has been an appalling revelation for residents across the province.
On Wednesday, Innis Ingram chained himself to a tree and started a hunger strike outside of Camilla Care Community, the Mississauga facility his 76-year-old mother currently resides in — which happens to be one of the five that is in such a poor state that the provincial government is taking over.
When members of the Armed Forces were deployed to help out in homes like Camilla Care during the pandemic, they were sickened to witness things like cockroach infestations, the reuse of non-sterile medical supplies, the unnecessary sedation of residents, use of expired medication, feed bags left unchanged for so long that "contents had become foul and coagulated," and worse.
The details were shocking, though advocates and those on the front lines have been calling for long-term care reform in Ontario for some time.
#BREAKING - Extremely damning report by the military regarding several long-term care homes in Ontario.
— Richard Southern (@richard680news) May 26, 2020
- Cockroach infestations
- Patients cry for help, staff don’t respond
- Residents not bathed for weeks
- Residents forcefully fed
- Covid patients allowed to wander pic.twitter.com/biBqIOBXSs
Ingram has said on Facebook that he's "feeling a little rough, but still prepared to go the distance" to increase pressure on officials to make immediate changes.
He has vowed to continue his protest until inspectors improve the conditions and level of care that his mother and other residents are currently receiving.
Last week, Premier Doug Ford launched an independent commission to investigate the system and its shortfalls after reading the military report, which he called " the hardest thing I've done as premier."
A crowd is gathering around Innis Ingram at the tree where he is chained and doing a hunger strike so vulnerable his mom and other seniors Covid-19 ridden #LTC with allegedly poor conditions can get an inspection from @fordnation asap - conversation is truly remarkable #onpoli pic.twitter.com/IrWg3QgCjP
— LauraBabcock (@LauraBabcock) May 28, 2020
Ingram has also planted crosses on the lawn of Camilla Care to represent the Ontario nursing home residents who have died from COVID-19 outbreaks, which have disproportionately affected such facilities.
As of May 29, 1,377 of Ontario's 2,189 deaths from the novel coronavirus — more than 60 per cent — have been in long-term care homes, where there have been 191 outbreaks and nearly 5,000 resident cases confirmed.
by Becky Robertson via blogTO
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