Canada·Video

Aging parents struggle to find care for disabled daughter

In the second instalment in a series, CBC's Ioanna Roumeliotis tells the story of the Arthurs family of Sarnia, Ont., whose daughter Emilia is in limbo waiting for permanent residential placement.

Emilia Arthurs, along with 6,000 other disabled Ontarians, waits for permanent placement

Desperate Choices

12 years ago
Duration 9:42
The CBC's Ioanna Roumeliotis looks at another family that has had to make a tough decision about their developmentally challenged child.

The CBC’s Ioanna Roumeliotis tells the story of the Arthurs family of Sarnia, Ont., whose daughter Emilia, along with some 6,000 other disabled Ontarians, is in limbo waiting for permanent residential placement.

Emilia’s aging parents can no longer care for their 21-year-old, who suffers from a myriad of disorders such as autism and epilepsy. They say they're at the end of their rope trying to get government funding and care.

After exhausting all of their options and falling through cracks in the system, the family said they had to surrender their daughter to the care of a respite centre in Sarnia — a temporary solution.

Their fear and uncertainty has prompted them to tell their story publicly.