Over 300 people sign petition asking Au Chateau to change visitations rules

Resolution to NEVER restrict minor children from their parents presented to the board.

Today a petition was delivered to the Board of Management for Au Chateau LTC Home in Sturgeon Falls.

Last week a group started a petition to help out Jennifer Desroches and others who have been affected by overly strict visitation policies in long-term care (LTC) homes.

Jennifer is a 37-year old mother of two who has Huntington’s disease. She has been at Au Chateau since 2020 and because of respiratory virus restrictions, she has seen her life, routines and relationships completely turned upside down.

Whenever the home declares respiratory outbreaks, they limit access to “essential caregivers”. Jennifer’s two sons are often prevented from visiting because they are not “essential caregivers”. 

The petition is calling on the Board of Management to pass a resolution at their upcoming meeting to accommodate people like Jennifer.

Specifically the proposed resolution seeks to direct Au Chateau to NEVER restrict visitations between a resident and his or her child under the age of 18.

In just one week, the online petition was signed over 300 times.

Over 150 of the signatories reside in West Nipsising and over 200 reside in the neighbouring communities of North Bay and Sudbury.

The Au Chateau Board of Management meets next Tuesday, December 19th at noon. With the amount of local support, this resolution is bound to generate a lively debate.

The petition will remain live until next week, so please sign it or share it if you haven’t done so already. An updated petition will be presented closer to the meeting to make the board aware of progress. LINK TO PETITION.

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