TORONTO, Oct 1 /CNW/ - The Ontario Public
Service Employees Union (OPSEU) is calling upon the provincial
government to improve health care supports on the first National
Seniors Day.
"While we honour and show appreciation to our
seniors, we must also show a commitment to resolving the
challenges of those who cannot access quality care in our
nursing homes and in the community," says OPSEU President Warren
(Smokey) Thomas.
In anticipation of a return to the
competitive bidding process introduced by the Harris government,
home care workers are leaving the sector, creating significant
professional shortages at the agency level. Coupled with
underfunding, many Community Care Access Centres can only
provide care to the most acute patients.
This spring Health Minister Deb Matthews
extended the present moratorium on competitive bidding, but
promised it would be reintroduced soon.
OPSEU has also been calling for a staffing
standard in the province's nursing homes to ensure our most
vulnerable citizens are given the quality care they deserve.
Both nursing home and retirement home workers
have seen a significant rise in the acuity of residents under
their care with little additional staffing support. As a result,
home care workers are facing burnout from increased workload
stress while patients have to rely increasingly upon families to
fill the gap.
"Patients are being pushed out of hospital
sicker and quicker," says Thomas. "They are finding there is
often no care available for them in their community."
National Seniors day is celebrated every year
on October 1st and coincides with the International Day of Older
Persons.
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