Ont. woman in battle with Lou Gehrig's Disease also battles to get home care

~update Sunday, February, 1st~

As of February 1st, Mettinen-Kekalainen will have home care services restored. France Gelinas says after a lengthy conference call, an agreement has been reached between Minna, the North East Community Care Access Centre, and one of the agencies who had previously refused to treat her.

Gelinas also says that now is the time to look into the competitive bidding program brought in by former progressive conservative premier, Mike Harris, and it's effects on quality home care.

Before that, the Victorian Order of Nurses and other charitable organizations had government funding and provided excellent home care, Gelinas said. Now, the for-profit companies Gelinas is aware of pay low wages and have no benefits or pension plans, which does little to attract top-quality nurses, she said.

"There has to be policy change in the way home-care services are delivered in this province," Gelinas said. "Otherwise there will be more and more Minnas out there, and this is not acceptable."

~end of update~

   
This is Minna Mettinen-Kekalainen's story. And although all the facts aren't in yet, the treatment of this woman is still a disgrace. Minna is battling Lou Gehrig's Disease and also has Asperger Syndrome. She has been without proper home care since November 20th. Because of the Aspergers, she can come across as difficult. When Minna was receiving care, she would complain to nurses that they weren't doing their jobs properly, and threaten to report them to the College of Nurses of Ontario.
   According to NDP health critic France Gelinas, that behavior was interpreted to mean working conditions were unsafe for the visiting nurses, and now, not one nursing agency in the area is willing to provide care. Gelinas says this is illegal, due to the fact that the nursing agencies are managed by Community Care Access Centres, which are funded by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.

   Mettinen-Kekalainen says she was refused services because she wouldn't sign a waiver promising not to contact the College of Nurses. Good for her for not signing it, what a ridiculous request. On January 6th, after two delays, a representative from the CCAC met with Minna and agreed to resume services, and that she wouldn't need to sign the original waiver. However, a new document was introduced, asking the patient to admit to two criminal acts, and then, she would be taken care of. Ms.Kekalainen denies she has committed any criminal acts and would not sign that one either. She is still without home care.  

   Minna has created a facebook account for those interested. And because I'm having trouble with the video, here is the link.