By Jill Andrew

Many of us come home or host for the holidays. Homes, no matter how big or small, filled with laughter, music, memories, and that aroma from the kitchen. We gather, shoot the breeze, catching up on each other’s lives, and at the heart of it all, we thank the heavens for our parents if they are still with us, grandparents, and those of us who have been particularly struck by luck – their great-grandparents. 

This holiday season is different. Due to COVID-19 and the need for social distancing, wearing our masks and staying at home except for essential travel, celebrations from Christmas, Kwanzaa to Hanukkah and Winter Solstice will not be the same and in many cases, it is our elders living alone or in long-term care who are feeling the particular sting of social isolation and disconnection from their beloved routines with family and loved ones.  Now more than ever, we must commit to fighting for a better day for our elders.

Last week the Ontario NDP Black Caucus hosted a virtual town hall with the Jamaican Canadian Association (JCA), a leading organization advocating for our families, especially our elders, on long-term care, home care and the need for a system overhaul to one that prioritizes people over profit.  Research has demonstrated that most elders who have succumb to COVID-19 have died in for-profit long-term care homes with disturbing trends in inadequate LTC home inspections, problematic resident care, staffing and management mismanagement. Simply put, when profit is at the center, residents often get left behind. We need public and non-profit home care and long-term care.

Some of our priorities as an Ontario NDP government would include fixing the issue of understaffed and underpaid workers by permanently increasing wages to frontline health care practitioners, including Personal Support Workers, Registered Practical Nurses, and dietary staff. We would also ensure more of these jobs are permanent and full-time so our elders depending on their support at home or in long-term care are not met with a revolving door of new faces each day but can benefit from more consistency with stable more sustainable workers they know and feel comfortable with.

Culturally relevant and responsive care is also integral to not only the physical health but the mental and social health of our elders. We heard this consistently during the town hall, including calls for long-term care homes specific to our Black community,  such as  Rose of Sharon Korean LTC the only LTC in Ontario serving Korean residents. Long-term care home staff should reflect the community they serve – diverse languages, dialects, accents, and cultures. This also includes paying attention to food services, activities, religious accommodations and ensuring that each LTC home has the funding necessary to actualize this as well as the training necessary for staff. These are all integral to our NDP commitment to seniors and others in congregate care settings. These elements assist our loved ones in care who are not able to connect as they would usually with family over the holidays. 

Organizations like the JCA valiantly serve our communities year-round but they cannot do this heavy lifting alone and they shouldn’t have to. They and others need adequate Ontario government supports. From food insecurity to shortages of real affordable housing, COVID-19 has highlighted the economic and digital barriers facing many of our seniors. Without knowledge of and access to the internet, too many of our elders are unable to connect with their loved ones and housing costs continue to be a burden to most. Now more than ever, housing and the internet must be basic human rights. They are essential to wellness during this pandemic.

These holidays will be different, but we cannot forget our priorities. Our elders – the literal blueprint of who we are – must always be at the center so they can live their best lives at home or in care for as long as we are blessed to have them with us.

(Dr. Jill Andrew is the Ontario NDP MPP for Toronto-St.Paul’s and is also a member of the Ontario NDP Black Caucus.

The Ontario NDP recently released Aging Ontarians Deserve the Best: A new, public, and non-profit home care and long-term care system. )