Two South Surrey seniors have launched a national association as a way to give a voice to long-term care home residents and people who live in retirement homes.
Amica White Rock residents Larry O鈥橞rien and Julian Kirstiuk recently founded the federally incorporated Canadian Association for Retirement Home Residents (CARHR).
An association designed to represent long-term care home residents has been needed for years, O鈥橞rien said. However, the trigger point for starting CARHR, he added, was the introduction of a restriction regarding visitors at B.C.鈥檚 retirement homes and long-term care facilities.
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The current provincial guidelines restrict visits to one designated family member or friend.
O鈥橞rien, who is the CEO of the new association, said the restriction should be adjusted to allow two people to visit at the same time. Allowing only one person, he said, is no different than being told to pick your favourite child.
鈥淚f you鈥檝e got three children and 10 grandchildren, only one of those are ever allowed to visit you. That鈥檚 a horrible situation,鈥� he said.
One of the first actions of the association was to write an open letter to Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry. While the letter commends her 鈥渆xceptional efforts鈥� to control COVID-19, it takes issue with her position on long-term care home visitors.
鈥淭here is one regulation you have endorsed that begs for your re-assessment. The imposition of the very cruel and inhumane order that separates families. You have separated families and forced those seniors living in retirement homes to endure a long period of extreme stress with their isolation,鈥� O鈥橞rien wrote.
鈥淭here can be little justification for restricting visiting at retirement homes to one designated visitor.鈥�
Monday afternoon, after announcing six new deaths and 317 new cases of COVID-19 over the weekend, Dr. Henry said there are currently 13 long-term care homes where there are COVID-19 outbreaks.
Henry said she does not envision the province increasing restrictions on visitors, but acknowledged the challenges that come with loosening them.
鈥淭he difficulty we have with long-term care is that it鈥檚 not just our person that is in there, it鈥檚 everybody who鈥檚 at risk,鈥� Dr. Henry said.
B.C. Minister of Health Adrian Dix said the most common concern his office receives relates to visitor restrictions at long-term care homes.
鈥淲e鈥檝e taken a very methodical approach to dealing with it,鈥� Dix said during the news briefing.
鈥淚t鈥檚 clear that we want, as a goal, to increase the number of visits but we have to put that into context. COVID-19 is obviously unbelievably harmful, potentially harmful, to people living in long-term care.鈥�
The association, O鈥橞rien said, is a vehicle for people to speak out if they鈥檙e otherwise afraid to do so.
鈥淭he people in these homes, especially the long-term care homes, they either don鈥檛 want to speak (or) they鈥檙e afraid to speak,鈥� he said. 鈥淢ost people, even in here, are reluctant to speak because they鈥檙e reluctant to offend the manager. Now, in our case, we have a really great manager, but I鈥檓 more about the long-term care where all of these people have died tragically.鈥�
O鈥橞rien described Amica as 鈥渢op of the heap,鈥� however, he said the degree of stress felt by himself and neighbours varies depending on individual circumstances and family relationships.
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鈥淵eah, people are stressed, there鈥檚 no doubt about it. But seniors don鈥檛 show their stress as much as younger people might. When you鈥檙e age 70, 80, 90, you鈥檝e learned to deal with stress to some extent, at least you learn to hide it.鈥�
O鈥橞rien and Kirstiuk are hoping to recruit volunteer board members.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 probably the most important issue we have right now,鈥� he said.
The ultimate goal is to have the association run by children and grandchildren of residents living in long-term care or retirement homes. O鈥橞rien envisions seniors sharing concerns with their family members, which would then be relayed to the association. Those concerns would then be brought to the proper authorities.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 what has been totally missing. We鈥檝e had no way to connect.鈥�
To learn more about the association or to request to join, O鈥橞rien can be contacted at ldobmob@gmail.com or 778-966-5261.
aaron.hinks@peacearchnews.com
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