Experts say COVID-19 restrictions in palliative care system make it difficult for Canadians to say goodbye to loved ones
Experts and insiders say that palliative care, which focuses on comfort, has become less of a priority during the COVID-19 pandemic, primarily due to visitor restrictions and even bans born out of staffing shortages and a need to limit exposure to the virus.
The facility, Madonna Care Community in Orleans, Ont., did not comment on specific cases but said in a written statement that it has always worked to make sure family members could have end-of-life visits. Butler Malette would have done anything to be able to be with her sister through her sickness, worn any personal protective equipment, taken any precautions, she said -- especially if her sister were to have reached end of life.
In Ontario, the military found people left in filth for weeks, others left on the floor where they had fallen, cockroach infestations, people choking while being improperly fed, patients with pressure sores, and seniors crying for help for hours to no avail. "From quality of life to quality of death, you cannot deliver it if you don't have enough hands, and also if you don't have enough knowledge," she said.
Grinspun added that some who have contracted COVID-19 aren't getting the support they need to prevent from choking on their own saliva. Typically, she said, nurses would use suction to prevent that from happening, but because that creates aerosols that spread the virus, they are forced instead to administer medications with uncomfortable side effects.
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