Exhaustion mounting for long-term care workers after three weeks on picket lines
Long-term care workers say exhaustion is setting in as they balance demanding jobs caring for vulnerable residents and rain-soaked shifts on the picket lines.
Ronald O’Toole, a maintenance worker at St. Vincent’s, says early optimism has faded since the strike started on April 13th as physical and emotional strain grows while they fight for higher wages.
“We had a lot of optimism on the first couple days, maybe even the first week, but I think it’s kind of weaned off. It’s really hard to be standing out here in all kinds of weather conditions,” he says, shielding himself from the cold.
O’Toole explains his role normally spans things like plumbing, painting and maintaining residents’ rooms. Typically, three workers are on site, but since the strike began, only one remains.
On Wednesday, CUPE members say they spotted Seniors Minister Barb Adams outside Fire Station 16 in Eastern Passage, which also happens to be their headquarters.
A video posted on social media by a union member shows Adams in a car surrounded by union members as they picket. They claim she did not get out and speak to them.
O’Toole says, “[It’s difficult] for us to be out here and then to see Barb not really giving a crap about us. They just really don’t care about what we’re trying to get and what our offer is. We’re just trying to make it by.”
‘It’s hard to believe in this day and age that our government is not looking after our elderly’
CCA Dale Henneberry, who has spent more than 20 years at St. Vincent’s Care Home, says morale inside the facility is deteriorating. She tells our newsroom she regularly sees nurses in tears, overwhelmed by being unable to provide residents the care they deserve — something she says residents are keenly aware of.
“They’re residents I always talk to, and this gentleman gives me a hug every day and says, ‘can you please make this go away?’ Like, it just pulls at your heartstrings.”
Henneberry adds the lack of talks with the government is deepening the strain on both staff and families. She adds that daily routines, including meals, have been disrupted due to limited kitchen staffing.
“They’re getting a continental breakfast. A juice Box and muffins, a fruit cup. I think now they found eggs that just have to be warmed up, but they’re missing their breakfast. They’re used to having a hot breakfast every day,” she explains.
Cook Roger Lemieux says long days are becoming the norm as workers juggle shifts and strike duties.
“I work for 6 hours, then I come back out here and picket some more. And I do that every day. It’s very exhausting. So, I’ve usually put in 10 to 12 hours a day between there and here.”
Workers give up basic necessities to continue caring for residents
The financial toll is also worsening, and Henneberry says some workers are making impossible choices just to survive.
“We have people that are living in their cars and going to shelters because they can’t afford both an apartment and a vehicle to get to work. And we’re not being heard, like, it’s very discouraging.”
Despite the hardship, staff say families and community members continue to show support, often stopping by the picket lines with food and coffee. Henneberry is calling on the government to act before emotional and financial exhaustion pushes an already strained workforce to the breaking point.
Acadia News has reached out to the province for comment.
