Dear Editor:
As I reflect on the year that was 2024, I am filled with a sense of disappointment and at the same time renewed resolve.
Disappointed that, collectively, we have decided to proceed in the same direction regardless of what we have learned. All we need to do is look to our neighbours south to see the consequences of failing to learn from the past.
Many things were learned in the pandemic – the importance of face to face social contact, the effectiveness of vaccines in preventing severe disease, the catastrophic consequences of isolation and money saving minimalistic care of the elderly – and yet, we persist in putting this most vulnerable population last, making them pay the price while we resume our previous carefree social events.
I just experienced the fifth consecutive Christmas with my elderly father in a care home in Fergus, where he has not been able to see my face. We have been mandated to wear masks at all times since September (even though there is no respiratory outbreak).
Multiple other institutional decisions continue to ignore what we know is best. Staff work on multiple wards; humidifiers, known to decrease infection risk and enhance resident comfort, are non-functional with no date for repair; the front door is broken, forcing all residents and visitors to traverse an open courtyard to the side entrance.
So yes, I am disappointed, but I am also determined to keep trying to make things better, to hold those in positions of power to a higher standard of behaviour, to seek out the truth and expect genuine caring actions from myself and those around me.
All the best in 2025.
Betty Bartleman,
Ladysmith