The heart-wrenching loss of life at homes for seniors is a disaster that has been waiting to happen.

It is the result of successive governments’ willingness to allow entrepreneurs to make considerable wealth based on a growing population of needy seniors whose children are willing to pay high fees to have their parents cared for by workers willing to do demanding work for low wages.

These very often dedicated personal care workers are employed part time, usually at more than one location to avoid paying benefits. They are required to provide personal care in ridiculously short periods of time. There is likely to be only one RN that they can consult on any one shift. They are usually non-unionized. They, too, are now being sickened by the virus.

Under the test of COVID-19, this for-profit model of eldercare has failed. The Ontario government’s response to this emergency has been to call for untrained volunteers to care for these most vulnerable members of our society, which will only make matters worse. Once this epidemic is over there needs to be a thorough overhaul of for-profit long-term care.

Our elders are not disposable.