{"id":105847,"date":"2021-11-25T12:24:48","date_gmt":"2021-11-25T17:24:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/huntsville.dopperonline.ca\/?p=105847"},"modified":"2021-11-25T12:24:49","modified_gmt":"2021-11-25T17:24:49","slug":"making-life-better-for-residents-of-long-term-care-mpp-norm-miller","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/doppleronline.ca\/huntsville\/making-life-better-for-residents-of-long-term-care-mpp-norm-miller\/","title":{"rendered":"Making life better for residents of long-term care: MPP Norm Miller"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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By Parry Sound-Muskoka MPP Norm Miller<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We might not like to admit it but we are all getting older. And here in Parry Sound-Muskoka we have a larger senior population than most places. According to the 2016 Canadian Census, 29.3 per cent of the year-round population living in Parry Sound-Muskoka is over the age of 65, and I would expect that has increased since then. It isn\u2019t a surprise to anyone who lives here that seniors make up a large and growing portion of our population. We need to make sure our facilities and services can keep up. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Even before COVID-19 hit we knew that we didn\u2019t have space in long-term care homes to care for everyone who needed that kind of care. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then came COVID-19. The pandemic has been extremely difficult for people living in Ontario\u2019s long-term care homes. Of course there were the tragedies brought on by outbreaks of COVID-19, something that we were happily spared here in Parry Sound-Muskoka. But, even where there were no major outbreaks, residents suffered. They experienced isolation and loss of community because visitors were limited and at times group activities were cancelled. And with all the extra infection control measures, staff were overworked more than ever before. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the Speech from the Throne delivered by the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, Hon. Elizabeth Dowdeswell in early October, she discussed how the pandemic exposed the long-standing vulnerabilities of the long-term care sector caused by decades of underfunding and neglect. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We owe Ontario\u2019s seniors the opportunity to age in comfort and dignity, so the Government of Ontario is committed to investing $2.68 billion to build and modernize long-term care homes around the province. The government is also investing $5 billion over four years to hire more than 27,000 staff, nurses, and personal support workers, to increase the daily hours of direct care for each resident. Lastly, to fix the sector\u2019s structural problems, the government has introduced legislation to protect residents through better transparency, accountability, and enforcement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Government of Ontario has listened to the concerns of residents, families, advocates, and those working in the sector. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key features of the government\u2019s plan<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As part of the plan to fix long-term care, Minister Rod Phillips recently introduced legislation to improve the well-being of residents in long-term care homes. If passed, the Providing More Care, Protecting Seniors, and Building More Beds Act, 2021<\/em> would repeal the current Long-Term Care Homes Act, 2007<\/em> and create the Fixing Long-Term Care Act, 2021.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some key features of the proposed Fixing Long-Term Care Act, 2021<\/em> include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n