Two weeks prior to its sudden closure on November 11, the Trillium Care Norwich retirement home in Ontario, Canada issued a notice to the families of 18 seniors living there. This action was perceived by many as irresponsible, as families were compelled to make last-minute decisions about alternative living arrangements for the seniors.
In response, the Retirement Home Regulatory Authority (RHRA) said that the closure violated the Retirement Homes Act, which publicly states that notices for retirement homes’ closures should be announced at least 120 days in advance. Raymond Chan, a spokesman for the RHRA, declared that “the RHRA can and has used a range of enforcement tools to recognize the breach and serve as a deterrence.”
However, the RHRA failed to take any clear, constructive actions in effort of protecting seniors’ right and upholding social justice in this case, for some unclear reasons. Advocates said that this situation reflects the pressing concerns regarding senior people’s living conditions in the country.
Laura Tamblyn Watts, CEO of national seniors’ organization CanAge, suggested that changes could be made by expanding and growing advocacy offices across the country, which would be in charge of examining the treatments for seniors and reporting their findings to the government.
At Social Justice Watcher, we need to recognize the needs and challenged faced by different communities worldwide. The community of seniors is certainly one which deserves a huge amount of attention.