Seniors fed up with Barrie retirement home

BARRIE, ONT. -

Some residents of a Barrie retirement residence are speaking out, saying conditions in the home have significantly worsened throughout the pandemic.

Allandale Station Retirement Residence is a retirement home located along Barrie's waterfront. According to Murray Patterson, the president of its residential council, the management of the home is ignoring the problems.

"We've got residents here that have not had the rooms cleaned for three weeks or more," says Patterson. "We're complaining, but they just say they don't have the staff."

The residence is home to more than 100 senior citizens who pay approximately $5,000 monthly.

Multiple residents tell CTV News staff has been reduced, leading to services and care being scaled back.

"We were led astray when we inquired about it. They said it was going to be a good place, it was going to be this and that, and it's gone downhill," says Wilma Irwin.

Some of the raised concerns include intermittent hot water, broken down service elevators and an improperly-staffed kitchen. When cooks have failed to show up for work on weekends, residents have been left with cereal or fast food options for breakfast.

"We pay a fair amount of money for our meals here, and the manager should not have to come in and serve meals to us and go out and buy it," says Patterson.

Some residents tell CTV News that the situation has only worsened over the last week as they have lost some of their freedom. The key fobs that are used to enter the facility have been taken, meaning residents can no longer easily come and go after 8 p.m.

"If we take our dog for a walk, we have to buzz the buzzer and have a nurse off the second floor come down and let us in," says Amelia McFadden, a resident of the home.

In a statement to CTV News, the management company for the residence responded to the concerns saying in part, "We're sorry that we've had some shortcomings in services.

Unfortunately, like all retirement and long-term care homes as well as other industries, our staffing levels have been affected by the labour shortage and other impacts of COVID-19."