I’ve just finished reading the Citizen article that reported about layoff notices being handed to 30 care workers at Acacia Ty Mawr. All unionized workers will be replaced by contracted employees at a significantly lower wage with no retirement or health benefits. As a result I’m struggling to rein in all my thoughts and emotions because I know what the result will be for all of the residents there.

My 99-year-old mother has been a resident at Acacia for two and a half years. She suffers from advanced dementia and can be a handful at times.

We were initially very uneasy about committing Mum to the care of strangers, but now I can’t say enough about the patience, caring and devotion shown by the Acacia staff.

Caring for the elderly is difficult work at the best of times; each one has their own particular behavioural quirks and special needs. To be effective, the staff has to build relationships and work as a team in a collegial and professional manner. This is the kind of working atmosphere that currently prevails at Acacia. All of this will be sacrificed for more money to line the already plush pockets of the owners of Trillium Care Services Inc.

These current developments of course, fall on the doorstep of the government who privatized elder care some years ago, but instead of a fast and shocking transition that would have caused outrage among the populace, we have witnessed a slow one designed to catch us sleeping.

I, for one, am awake and am not prepared to entrust my mother’s care to unhappy low-wage, no benefit employees who, through no fault of there own, will care less about the care that they give than they will about securing a better job somewhere else.

This is what happens when we entrust the care of out parents and grandparents to private interests. We owe it to then to reverse the trend.

Rod Garbutt, Shawnigan Lake

Article source: http://www.canada.com/Acacia+layoffs+will+residents/6083026/story.html

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