Stop punishing PWD and seniors for the mess you made

 Last week, I talked about Doug Ford wanting to force PWD and seniors into long-term care (LTC) homes. As if that wasn’t bad enough, a few days following the announcement, he said that those who refused to be transferred to a LTC would be forced to pay the costs of

PWD & seniors have rights too, and Doug Ford needs to be reminded

 Last week, I came close to needing to go to the hospital. I wasn’t sick. One of my evening caregivers called in sick, and nobody was available to work. I was notified just as I was about to head out. To be fair, the people in charge of managing the

Winds of change: personal attendant care and shortages

 This week’s column may seem a little different to some. Things are a little stressful around here. Thankfully,  it has nothing to do with my health, at least not my physical health. A few weeks ago, I briefly mentioned the ongoing possibility of having to go to the hospital or

Elder care reform must start with skills training

 By Sarah Watts-Rynard When it comes to tragedy, the human instinct is to assign blame. In the case of pandemic-induced deaths in Canada’s long-term care facilities, there are no end of culprits: governments for regulatory and oversight failures, owners and managers for poor employment practices, workers for abandoning their posts. Regardless of

How to add quality of life for Canada’s older adults? — AVOID frailty

 By John Muscedere The global pandemic has struck a death blow across our senior population. Canada has had almost 9,000 deaths from COVID-19 so far, with the vast majority (97 per cent) occurring in those over age 60.  Canada also holds the unenviable record among developed nations for the highest

COVID-19 shows support for home care long overdue

 By Kelli Stajduhar, Tanya Sanders The global pandemic of COVID-19 has brought long-standing gaps in the Canadian care system sharply into focus, particularly for older adults who cannot live independently. As we collectively grasp the enormity of the troubling living conditions for Canada’s residents of long term care, and the

It’s time to stop warehousing Canada’s seniors in long-term care

 By John Muscedere and Russell Williams Canada need to initiate a bold long-term strategy for healthy aging The COVID-19 pandemic has made it clear that Canada needs to change the way we care for our older adults. We have failed in our duty to safeguard the most vulnerable members of

New vision of long-term care must be person-centred

 By Jim Mann When the long-term care system is revolutionized, as it must be, we should learn from people who live with dementia It’s time we talked.    No longer can the discussion of the care of people living in long-term care facilities be ignored, be sloughed off, for another

Pause the research please!

 Educated people everywhere use well designed reliable and valid research. We are taught how to do it. We are required to read it, digest it, ruminate on it, write about it and attack or defend it. However, it has occurred to me that some of the research which clearly points

I know I was a pain in the posterior

 I fell in love last year! I was a retired woman who decided to volunteer with her little canine companion in a long-term care home. Unexpectedly, I met a friendly but lonely immigrant with a smile that set my heart on fire. You are probably expecting me to say I

What Kind of Health Workforce Will Be Needed to Serve Our Aging Population?

 By Gregory Huyer and Ivy Lynn Bourgeault We know that Canada’s population is aging. Among the many statistics that have been reported is how in 2015, the proportion of Canadian seniors surpassed that of youth under 15 for the first time. The gap will continue to widen over the next

Reforming Healthcare Funding to Address the Needs of Our Aging Population

 Why we need a publicly funded insurance program for home care and long-term care By Réjean Hébert Funding home care and long-term care is fast becoming the main challenge of our outdated medicare system – a system developed in the mid-twentieth century for a young population that mostly required acute

Dear Health Minister Philpott — We Need Leadership In Medicare Restored

 Dear Minister Philpott, It is fantastic news that as a family doctor you are our next federal health minister.  You will know very well that our healthcare system shows its age.  Born in the middle of the 20th century, its primary focus on doctors and hospitals is outmoded as technology

Why We Need to Rethink the Nursing Home Model

 We don’t need more nursing home “beds,” we need more care options so people have choices How many nursing beds are needed in Canada to care for frail, elderly people with high care needs? That’s a question that policy makers across the country are grappling with, given the aging population

Pensions & Peace of Mind Series: Long-Term Care

 It is no secret that a secure and enjoyable retirement requires critical thinking, strategic planning and diligent budgeting. Many Canadians are aware of this but are unaware of the fact that a portion of that retirement budgeting must be allocated for long-term health care costs. This may come as a