Ryan Meili, the leader of the provincial Democrats, held a press conference on Tuesday to call for enhanced support for seniors during the COVID-19 crisis.
“The people who built this province, the seniors who have done so much for us over the years, they are also at the highest risk when it comes to COVID-19,” Meili said .
“It’s extremely important that we protect them.”
Meili said seniors can be disconnected during the crisis and added not everyone is in a situation where they can self-isolate safely, or stay connected.
“That is why we are asking for more from the provincial government in terms of direction for folks who are working with seniors, caring for seniors and seniors themselves,” Meili said.
The NDP leader said he is calling for the provincial government to act on clear rules around physical distancing in seniors’ facilities, an injection of additional resources to allow facilities to hire staff to implement physical distancing along with providing additional support for residents facing social isolation.
Meili added he is calling on the province to also add resources for seniors to reach family members, including tables to allow video-calling like Nova Scotia has done.
“We know that for a number of years now, our seniors’ centres have been understaffed,” Meili said.
“With demands for physical distancing and greater communication with the outside world, there is going to be more demand on staff. We need additional supports in those facilities now to make sure the ratio between caregiver and resident is enough to actually give people the care they need,” he added.
Meili was joined by Wendy Fyrk, whose father is 88 years old and lives at a facility in Prince Albert. Fyrk has been told her father will be losing access to homecare.
“Families are being asked to either come in and provide the support our parents and grandparents need, or to bring their family member home, as our homecare supports are to be moved to acute care,” Fyrk said.
“In a 110-person facility with an average age of 85, having family members provide care increases the risk of spreading COVID-19 in my father’s home, putting all of these seniors at risk,” she added.
Jordan Stricker is a Local Journalism Initiative Reporter based out of the Estevan Mercury
