'Out of touch with reality' Advocates say policy that allows LTC homes to evict residents has to change

There’s a movement afoot to have a provincial policy changed that some say pressures long term care homes to evict residents if they’re in hospital and haven’t used their rooms due to medical absence.

It stems from CTV News London’s reporting earlier this week of a resident at Glendale Crossing Long Term Care Home in London, Ontario, who was evicted because she hadn’t slept in her room for more than three months.

Sixty-one-year-old Marsha, who suffers from mental illness, was admitted to the psychiatric unit of London Health Sciences Centre in September, where she remains.

"The policy that allows this is basically out of touch with reality," said Ron Kennedy, Marsha’s ex-husband. Kennedy was at Glendale Crossing on Friday packing up Marsha’s belongings and carting them away in his mini-van. "People like my former wife, they need some place that’s stable. They need to be able to come back to some place where they can know that it’s like their home," added Kennedy.

Ron Kennedy, Marsha's ex-husband moves Marsha's belongings out of Gendale Crossing Long Term Care Home in London (Source: Teresa Hitchen)Provincial policy allows long term care homes to evict tenants after 30 days for medical absence, and 60 days for psychiatric absence.

"Nobody really does know until you enter this arena," said Teresa Hitchen, one of Marsha’s power of attorneys. "And you know there’s residents that really don’t want to go to hospital when they should be going because they’re so afraid the 30 day rule and all of that, is going to cause them to not come back to what they know as their home."

Meanwhile, Hitchen said she was disgusted when she discovered the camera that she had kept in Marsha’s room picked up video of what she said is a Glendale Crossing employee appearing to move personal items of the next tenant into Marsha’s room, before Marsha had moved out. "I don’t even know what to say… It’s just so inhumane," she said.

In a statement from Schlegel Villages, the parent company of the home, spokesperson Kristian Partington said "in this circumstance, we surpassed regulations and provided an extended absence period but, with no foreseeable expectation of discharge, the space in the home can go to someone else in need."

London West MPP Peggy Sattler (NDP) said she has for several years been fighting the provincial policy that allows long term care residents to be evicted under these circumstances.

"There’s such demand for long term care beds that people are being forced out of their homes because of the province’s inaction on improving home and community care supports so that people have other options."

Sattler indicated she has been in touch with Marsha’s power of attorneys to offer assistance.

In an email to CTV News, Jake Roseman, the Issues Manager and Press Secretary for Long Term Care Minister Paul Calandra said, "patients are not discharged from the hospital until they have been placed in a new care setting that meets their needs."

So what then becomes of Marsha? Hitchen said an application has been submitted to another long term care home on her behalf.

Now those who care for her just wait to find out if she’s accepted, and if Marsha has a home to go to once she leaves hospital.