The Ontario government is moving immediately to assume management of five long-term care homes in which deplorable conditions were recently reported by the Canadian Armed Forces.

Damning and disturbing details were released on Tuesday from a report compiled by military personnel who were called in to help manage the COVID-19 crisis.

Allegations revealed to date include force-feeding residents, not bathing residents for weeks, ignoring residents in need of assistance for hours, reusing catheters that have been pulled out and left on the floor and allowing dozens of "bleeding fungal infections" to fester.

That's just the tip of the iceberg, according to Premier Doug Ford, who said reading the "heartbreaking" full report was "the hardest thing I've done as premier."

#BREAKING - Extremely damning report by the military regarding several long-term care homes in Ontario.

- Cockroach infestations
- Patients cry for help, staff don’t respond
- Residents not bathed for weeks
- Residents forcefully fed
- Covid patients allowed to wander pic.twitter.com/biBqIOBXSs

— Richard Southern (@richard680news) May 26, 2020

In an effort to restore humane and compassionate care to residents of five particularly hard hit LTC homes, the province's Ministry of Long-Term Care has started the process of "appointing temporary management."

The homes that will be taken over by the government right away are: 

• Eatonville Care Centre in Etobicoke
• Hawthorne Place Care Centre in North York
• Altamont Care Community in Scarborough
• Orchard Villa in Pickering 
• Camilla Care Community in Mississauga

Ontario's provincial government also revealed today that it will be conducting "comprehensive, detailed inspections" at 13 additional long-term care homes over the next 21 days, and that it had approved an independent commission into the long-term care system. The commision will begin its work in July of 2020.

Today we took further action to protect our seniors in long-term care homes including starting the process to take over management of 5 homes, ramping up inspections of other high-risk homes, and adding increased random spot checks across the province. https://t.co/dzzF1e69PO pic.twitter.com/olc24eT3Zf

— Doug Ford (@fordnation) May 27, 2020

"We've already taken over two homes because we had concerns and now we are moving to take over these five homes because in the face of those accusations, in the face of these problems, we will use every tool at our disposal," said Ford said during his daily pandemic press conference on Wednesday.

Minister of Long-Term Care Dr. Merrilee Fullerton said similarly that inspectors will be deployed at all long-term care facilities in Ontario to ensure they are compliant with government regulations.

"What we saw in the reports from the Canadian Armed Forces was gut-wrenching and appalling," she said on Wednesday.

"Our inspectors are professionals like nurses, dieticians and physiotherapists and they will stop at nothing to ensure all high-risk homes are quickly returned to places of safety and stability."