TORONTO -- Henry Tomaszewski says he had no idea his mother was seriously ill until a nurse practitioner at a Toronto long-term care home called to tell him staff weren鈥檛 sure if she was going to survive the day.
鈥淚 was shocked actually, 鈥榗ause that was the first time that I got notice that her condition was so bad,鈥 he told 麻豆影视 Channel on Tuesday morning.
At the Eatonville Care Centre, and 53 have been confirmed to have the virus, sending ripples of panic through residents and their families.
Tomaszewski said his mother told him over the phone days ago that a few residents were coughing and that there were suspicions that some were sick.
But when staff called him last Thursday, Tomaszewski said he had no idea that anyone at the centre had been confirmed to have the virus.
The nurse practitioner told him that his mother 鈥渨as at a level where they thought that she wouldn鈥檛 survive (for even) a few more hours.
鈥(I) ended up doing a quick Skype with her,鈥 Tomaszewski said. 鈥淎nd I was horrified by her condition.鈥
Tomaszewski and his brothers rushed to the care home. What they found was worse than they had expected.
鈥淪he was laying in bed, panting, grasping, trying to get as much oxygen in as possible, and she had just a tube of oxygen in her 鈥 connected to her nose,鈥 Tomaszewski said. 鈥淎t that point we realized she wasn鈥檛 getting any care that she needed there. So later that evening, had her rushed to the hospital.鈥
Tomaszewski鈥檚 mother is currently at Trillium Health Partners in Mississauga, Ont., in 鈥済rave condition鈥 and he said she is deteriorating fast.
Five minutes before he spoke with 麻豆影视 Channel, Tomaszewski had received a call from the hospital recommending he come in.
鈥(The nurse) actually even suggested if I鈥檇 like to come in and possibly say my final goodbyes to (my mother),鈥 Tomaszewski said.
The speed and ferocity of the outbreak within the care home has left many family members struggling to get those crucial final moments with their loved ones.
Terrence van Dyke, whose 85-year-old father was missed a series of phone calls from the home on Friday night.
On Saturday, his father died, shortly after van Dyke finally spoke with a doctor. He never got to see his father and say goodbye.
鈥淪o I just looked at a picture of him the other day and I just apologized,鈥 van Dyke said. 鈥淛ust said, 鈥業鈥檓 sorry. I鈥檓 sorry.鈥欌
Tomaszewski said the communication from the care home has been insufficient. The first official communication from the home letting him know about the extent of the outbreak was a letter sent two days ago, he said 鈥 days after he had already moved his mother to the hospital.
鈥淎nd then yesterday we got another letter stating that there was 25 deaths,鈥 he said. 鈥淪o the news wasn鈥檛 鈥 communication wasn鈥檛 all that good.鈥
Eatonville鈥檚 Executive Director, Evelyn MacDonald, said in a statement Tuesday that all of the residents are in self-isolation, meals are being delivered to rooms and both residents and staff are being monitored for symptoms twice a day.
They have also increased testing, and are now awaiting test results on over 70 residents, the statement said.
鈥淔rom the outset we have been communicating regularly and personally with families [whose] loved ones have been impacted by COVID-19,鈥 MacDonald said in the statement. 鈥淚n the interest of being open and transparent with all of our families, over the weekend we took steps to share all of the information we have.鈥
MacDonald added that the care home uses a voicemail messaging system to contact families.
鈥淲e erred in the last two days in not recording a personal message as we normally do and instead sent an automated message,鈥 she said. 鈥淲e sincerely apologize for that.鈥
Tomaszewski鈥檚 mother tested positive for COVID-19 after she was taken to the hospital. He said that apart from a stroke 鈥渁 number of years ago,鈥 she had no underlying health condition.
鈥淪he was wheelchair-bound, but she was healthy and happy,鈥 he said.
Tomaszewski still has one family member at the care home 鈥 his aunt, who is 97 years old, and 鈥渨ho, thank God, hasn鈥檛 contracted the virus yet.鈥
Toronto Public Health confirmed Monday that it is working with the long-term care centre to manage the outbreak.
鈥淲e are actively investigating this COVID-19 outbreak at Eatonville Long-Term Care Home and these tragic deaths, and we will report on facts related to this matter as soon as the investigations are completed,鈥 it said in a statement.
