People who live in New Brunswick nursing homes -- and their families -- face another five weeks of uncertainty about whether their caregivers will be going on strike.

It will be early July before a court rules on whether the workers are allowed to strike.

That leaves everyone involved on pins and needles, with one family calling on the government to “get off the pot.”

Married for almost 51 years – Ron Bruce visits his wife, Lynn, at York Care Centre in Fredericton every day.

Lynn has early onset Alzheimer’s so Ron feeds her lunch and supper -- and will do more if it comes to it.

“I've made plans to look after Lynn if they strike, but the other people that can't do that, they'd be in trouble,” Bruce said.

Inside the Moncton Courthouse on Friday, there was no decision, but a judge gave herself a deadline to rule on whether nursing home workers in New Brunswick can strike.

A decision is expected by July 5, unless the Blaine Higgs government and the union return to the negotiating table.

It means more waiting for both sides, including the residents caught in the middle.

“I’m a little frustrated,” Bruce said. “I think, really, along with everyone else, just watching this play out. They keep kicking it down the road in the courts there and we don't seem to be achieving anything really.”

At the heart of the matter before the court is whether nursing home workers are considered essential to the safety of nursing home residents.

“This is about protecting residents in the event of a strike,” Justin Wies of the New Brunswick Association of Nursing Homes, said on Friday. “We're not trying to say a strike shouldn't happen, but ensuring that exclusively, these services that we provide to residents are maintained in the event of a strike.”

It could be avoided altogether if negotiations between the province and the union reached a settlement, but, so far, talks have broken down.

The union feels discussions haven’t been fair, but the province says that’s not the case.

Residents and their families are caught in the middle, with people like Bruce thinking about possible solutions.

“I should be paying money towards something that everybody can use and is going to need at some point in time, rather than spending money on these foolish taxes that we have, like paying a tax on every car you sell after it's sold -- things like that?” Bruce said.

He’s not blaming either side, but just wants the waiting and worrying to be over.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Laura Brown.