'They're dying': Lawyer says long-term care homes should be open to unvaccinated caregivers
A Montreal lawyer is contesting the validity of a government decree that stops unvaccinated caregivers from vising long-term care facilities (CHSLDs), accusing the province of creating a “catastrophic situation.”
According to health measures established in December, caregivers must be fully vaccinated to visit someone in hospitals or CHSLDs.
Lawyer Natalia Manole argues that these restrictions can actually put residents at risk.
“Many of these people have let themselves die, they refuse to eat or drink, they rip out their feeding tubes,” she told CTV News. “Some are maiming themselves. Some forget how to talk, some forget how to walk, some who must necessarily walk develop blood clots because there is no one to walk them.”
Representing more than 80 seniors and their unvaccinated caregivers, Manole filed for an injunction Friday to have the government decree suspended.
She says she’s received around 300 written testimonies so far, describing how elderly patients are suffering as a result of this COVID-19 measure.
“Every day for my clients is like a year, because they’re dying. Two have already died, and I have to remove their names from the file. We can’t continue like that,” Manole said.
Michele Chayer has been the caregiver for her 86-year-old father Marcel, who is partially paralyzed from a stroke.
Chayer is unvaccinated due to medical reasons, meaning she can no longer visit her father in his private senior’s residence.
“[I’ve] taken his hand for 8 years, and now I can’t,” said Chayer.
Last week, Marcel suffered another stroke and was hospitalized. Unable to visit him, Chater said she feels powerless.
“He is crying all the time and he’s asking for me all the time,” she said, adding that she doesn’t “think he’s going to get out of this hospital alive.”
The reasons why some of the caregivers aren’t vaccinated are unclear, but patient rights advocate Paul Brunet says it’s a wake-up call for the government.
“We’ve seen in the first waves how many hundreds, if not thousands, of patients in long-term care facilities have been abandoned to die in some instances,” said Brunet.
He says that if unvaccinated healthcare workers — and in some case COVID-positive workers — can care for seniors, unvaccinated caregivers should be able to do the same, with safety measures in place.
“Close caregivers can come by and continue helping, feeding, do the job that others don’t do.”
According to Natalie Manole, the court has “recognized the urgency of the matter” and scheduled the injunction hearing for Feb. 2.
The health ministry did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication.
With files from CTV's Stephane Giroux.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Average hourly wage in Canada now $34.95: StatCan
Average hourly wages among Canadian employees rose to $34.95 on a year-over-year basis in April, a 4.7 per cent increase, according to a Statistics Canada report released Friday morning.
Magnitude 4.2 earthquake reported off Vancouver Island's west coast
A 4.2-magnitude earthquake was recorded west of Vancouver Island early Friday morning.
This iconic Canadian song is turning 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
Federal government bans watercraft from Manitoba lake popular with tourists
The threat of zebra mussels has prompted the federal government to temporarily ban watercraft from a Manitoba lake popular with tourists.
Her SUV was stolen in Montreal. A Good Samaritan on Facebook helped her get it back
Just as she had feared, a restaurant owner from eastern Quebec who visited Montreal had her SUV stolen, but says it was all thanks to the kindness of strangers on the internet — not the police — that she got it back.
Oprah Winfrey: I set an unrealistic standard for dieting
Oprah Winfrey said on Thursday evening that she has long played a role in promoting unhealthy and unrealistic diets.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Toronto police called to Drake's Bridle Path mansion for another alleged intruder on Thursday
Toronto police say a man who allegedly attempted to access Drake’s Bridle Path property was taken to hospital on Thursday after an altercation with security guards.