Senior Pride Network Toronto LTC Submission and Call for Stories to Tell
Richard Hudler
Hi Queer Ontario News E-mail Group,
Forwarding the attached Submission to the Long-Term Care COVID-19 Commission from Ontario Senior Pride (Senior Pride Network Toronto and 6 other groups) and call for stories (below) provided by Queer Ontario Member Tom Warner for your information and seek your potential help.
Thank you,
Richard Hudler
Telling the story of COVID-19 and 2S-LGBTQ+ seniors in long-term care homes
Ontario Senior Pride, a coalition of the Senior Pride Network Toronto and 6 other 2S-LGBTQ+ groups advocating on behalf of queer, trans and 2 Spirit elders and seniors recently filed a written submission with Ontario's Long-Term Care COVID-19 Commission. The submission addresses, from the vantage point of what has happened with COVID-19, the specific issues and concerns of 2S-LGBTQ+ seniors about the LTC system in Ontario and LTC homes generally. It makes recommendations for ensuring that the LTC system is inclusive of and responsive to the needs and concerns of 2S-LGBTQ+ seniors who are residents of LTC.
In addition to this submission, Ontario Senior Pride would like to present the Commission with actual experiences and stories of 2S-LGBTQ+ seniors, their families (chosen or biological) and 2S-LGBTQ+ staff impacted by outbreaks of COVID-19 in LTC homes. Here are some examples of stories that would be particularly important to tell:
-- 2S-LGBTQ+ seniors in LTC homes who have or had COVID-19 and how that impacted their emotional wellbeing, health, social isolation, nature and quality of care, etc. and if they sadly passed away as a result of COVID-19 or managed to survive it;
-- 2S-LGBTQ+ residents of LTC homes who are not or were not diagnosed with COVID-19 but have been or are impacted by physical distancing, social isolation, restrictions on visitation or other measures that were put in place to combat outbreaks in LTC homes;
-- 2S-LGBTQ+ persons who have or had family members (chosen family or other) or friends in LTC homes and their experiences in regard to the nature and quality of care, restrictions on visitation, recognition of chosen families or non-biological family members as caregivers, etc.
-- any experiences of 2S-LGBTQ+ seniors or staff in LTC homes being or having been abused (physically or verbally), neglected, treated in a discriminatory, inequitable or disrespectful manner or experiencing marginalization or vulnerability.
If you know of any stories that can be told, please send an email to SPN Toronto at spnto...@gmail.com with a paragraph or two containing the relevant details and the title "LTC Story". Confidentiality and anonymity will be ensured (no names needed, and no details or information that would identify any persons, LTC homes or violate a person's privacy).