The world has been known to be a cruel place. From time to time, we see glimpses of hope. Then, stories pop up on the news feeds that remind us. The one of an elderly couple, who have been married for 73 years, is now being forced to live apart because of a new law passed in Ontario. As a result of the separation, their mental and physical health is deteriorating. Even after their children have tried with all their might to reunite with their parents. Sadly, this story is not unique, as there are thousands of similar cases.
Separated and heartbroken
When one finds the love of their life, one tries to hold onto them as long as possible. An Ottawa couple’s love has withstood the sands of time. John and Gwen Hooper have been married and living together for 73 years. But, thanks to a law passed in Ontario, they have been forced to live separately for the last 19 months.
Their daughter, Cynthia Hooper, is now fighting to reunite her parents. She fears their health is deteriorating as a result of broken hearts. Her father has started calling her mother’s name whenever he is agitated. “Whenever he’s agitated, he often, often calls out my mother’s name,” she said. “It’s heart-wrenching that after 73 years of marriage, they’re forced to live apart.”
Until June 2021, they had been living at Portobello Manor in Orléans. But then, John’s health scares caused the care home to send him to Perley Health to be cared for. Cynthia and her brother try their best to get their parents to visit each other, or help them with phone calls. But, as COVID-19 still running rampant, it made it difficult to arrange. Furthermore, Gwen had a heart condition so she couldn’t travel by car and John was often fast asleep in the car by the time they arrived.
A “human tragedy”
Cynthia has tried contacting people in high places to tell her parent’s stories. Including Ontario’s Long-Term Care Action Line and various local politicians. Sadly, not much response was given. “I think there should be some room … to reunite people who have been married for decades. There’s a physical [care] need, but there’s also a mental need and I think that needs to be addressed,” said Cynthia.
Dr. Samir Sinha, director of geriatrics at Mount Sinai Hospital and the University Health Network in Toronto has called this situation a “human tragedy.” According to Sinha, spouses being reunited is becoming less of a priority. “To see them separated by a system that lowers the priority for these reunifications over other kinds of crisis placements, it really is a human tragedy,” Sinha said. “We have to remember that the average life expectancy in an Ontario long-term care home is about 18 months.”
“While spousal reunification takes a bit more priority over people who just generally want to transfer … They’re bumped lower down on the current waiting list by people who are in crisis,” he said. “Under the current system, she doesn’t qualify because dying of a broken heart doesn’t qualify as a community crisis.”
“Anyone over 70 right now must be shaking in their boots”
The province of Ontario is the largest in Canada. The number of people living there has resulted in the hospitals being overcrowded. Not only that, but the hospitals are understaffed in the nursing department. this caused the emergency departments to close for months on end. But now, the hospitals have been given the power to send elderly patients to long-term care homes they did not choose.
The aim was to alleviate the strain on the hospitals. But it is now a moral issue as the elderly are being targeted. The law states that if a patient is not in critical condition, they will be moved to a care home “temporarily” while they wait for a space at their preferred care facility. This is what happened to John and Gwen Hooper. Those who manage the placements for long-term care are Home and Community Care Support Services Champlain. They have reported there are 42 patients on the wait list for spousal reunification.
Vivian Stamatopoulos, an advocate for Ontario Tech University as well as a researcher for long-term care expressed her outrage over the bill. “It is so repugnant that they are putting our most vulnerable in that position,” she said, adding that most of the patients have dementia. “You need to be nearby, you need to be in the loop and you need to be present to make sure that they’re actually receiving the care that they should be,” she said. “How can you do that if you’re hours away?”
“Fundamentally Discriminatory”
The executive director of the Ontario Health Coalition, Natalie Mehra, is also against the bill being passed. If a patient refuses to move to a long-term care facility that was not their choice, they will be charged a mandatory fee of $400. This has been enforced by the law as well. In effect, the law has allowed the hospitals to prioritize the people in more critical condition, causing them to bump people from their beds
“We’re talking about pushing people out of hospitals to die. I mean, let’s get real,” says Mehra. “It’s targeting the frail elderly. We believe it’s fundamentally discriminatory and ageist and there are other solutions. It’s just that the government will not do that.”
Sources
- “Seniors scared over forced placement to long-term care homes for Ontario patients. National Post. Liam Casey. Aug 19, 2022
- “After 73 years of marriage, this couple is forced to live apart.” CBCnews. Matthew Kupfer. January 30, 2023
- “Ontario could face Charter challenge over law forcing some elderly hospital patients into nursing homes.” CBC.ca November 21, 2022.