Ontario Health Coalition Advisory: Giant Rocking Chair Tour

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - June 1, 2015) -

Attn: Assignment Editor/Photo Editor

A giant 10-foot tall wooden rocking chair is touring 24 towns across Ontario. Joining the giant rocking chair in highly visual media events will be local health coalition members, including seniors, family council members, union and care workers, long term care residents and concerned citizens. The goal is to bring awareness about improving the care standards at long term care facilities.

The care levels in Ontario's long-term care homes are inadequate:

• More than 18,500 hospital beds have been closed since 1990 and patients are moved out of hospitals ever quicker and sicker.
• Access to care is poor with long-waits and increasingly severe rationing of access to care. There have been more than 20,000 people on wait lists for long-term care home spaces for more than a decade.
• Almost 2/3 of long-term care residents have dementia and almost half have aggressive behaviours. Since 2002, Ontario's chief coroner has reported 29 homicides in long-term care homes.

There is a solution. The Ontario provincial government must:

1. Set a minimum care staffing standard of 4-hours of hands-on care per day per resident.
2. Improve access to care and reduce wait times.

The coalition will be collecting 20,000 signatures on postcards as they travel with the chair to symbolize the >20,000 people waiting for long-term care placements.

When and Where?

Each event will be approximately 1/2 hour.

Wednesday, June 3

Smiths Falls 10 a.m., Parkette across from the Public Library on Daniel St.

Arnprior 1 p.m., sidewalk across from Town Hall, 105 Elgin St W.

Renfrew 3:30 p.m., sidewalk across from Town Hall 127 Raglan St S

Thursday, June 4

Pembroke 10 a.m., sidewalk at the corner of Deacon St. and Mackay St. (on the road by Pembroke Regional Hospital, 705 Mackay St.).

Deep River 1 p.m., sidewalk at the corner of Balmer Bay Rd. and Banting Dr., (on the road by Deep River and District Hospital, 117 Banting Dr.).

Friday, June 5

North Bay 10 a.m., Lee Park, 800 Memorial Dr. (meet at Gateway Arch).

Sturgeon Falls 1 p.m., sidewalk across the street from Au Château Nursing Home, 100 Michaud St.

Saturday, June 6

Huntsville 10 a.m., sidewalk at the southwest corner of Muskoka District Rd. 3 and Frank Miller Dr., (on the road by Hospice Huntsville).

Gravenhurst 1 p.m., sidewalk outside of Gravenhurst Public Library, 180 Sharpe St W.

Monday, June 8

Orillia 10 a.m., Couchiching Beach Park, 140 Carnice St. (meet at the Samuel de Champlain monument).

Midland 1 p.m., sidewalk at the corner of St. Andrews Dr. and Penetanguishene Rd./Country Rd. 93, (on the road by Georgian Bay General Hospital).

Tuesday, June 9

Owen Sound 10 a.m., sidewalk outside of City Hall, 808 2nd Ave. E.

Port Elgin 1 p.m.,sidewalk of the parkette, across the street from Pharmasave, 639 Goderich St.

Kincardine 3 p.m., the corner of Queen St N and Golf Links Rd (near the entrance of South Bruce Grey Health Centre, 43 Queen St. N.).

Wednesday, June 10

Sarnia 10 a.m., sidewalk outside of Vision Nursing Home, 229 Wellington St.

Wallaceburg 1 p.m., "Welcome to Wallaceburg" sign (across the road from Fairfield Park Nursing Home, 1934 Dufferin Ave.).

Chatham 3 p.m., sidewalk outside of Meadow Park Long Term Care, 110 Sandys St.

Thursday, June 11

Windsor 10 a.m., riverside, (meet at Ouellette Ave. and Riverside Dr.).

Leamington 1 p.m., Seacliff Park, (meet at Conover Ave. and Forest Ave.).

Friday, June 12

lngersoll 10 a.m., Gazebo Stage, Thames St. and Charles St.

Kitchener/Waterloo 1 p.m. Weber Park across the street from 369 Frederick St.

Cambridge 3 p.m., the corner of Coronation Blvd. and Oliver Ave. (on the road by Cambridge Memorial Hospital, 700 Coronation Blvd).

Saturday, June 13

Port Colborne 9:30 a.m., sidewalk outside of Northland Pointe (long-term care facility), 2 Fielden Ave.

Fort Erie 11 a.m., sidewalk in front of Town Hall, 1 Municipal Centre Dr.