but he said a lack of clarity in the provincial guidelines and too strict an interpretation by the care home resulted in what he called a “travesty.”
“i think it resulted in this family not having a good death,” he said.
savoie’s story is not unique.
“it is happening every day in homes across the province,” said sinha. he said the province needs clearer guidelines aimed at safe visiting.
dr. amit arya, a palliative care specialist working in long-term care homes in the gta, said separating families from residents was done to stop the spread of covid-19 but it is causing its own serious harms, both to residents and their families. not only can family members provide comfort at end of life, he said, but keeping them away from their loved ones can result in distress and complicated grief that they might be dealing with for a long time.
“we haven’t done a very good job of including family caregivers in the circle of care.” that should change, arya said.
gilliann sloggett, a spokesperson for the ministry of long-term care, said the decision to restrict visitors to long-term care homes was not made lightly “as we know the tremendous hardship it poses for family. however, it was a critical and necessary decision to make. we look forward to a time when this restriction is no longer necessary.”