A Time for Change
During Covid 19 over 7,000 seniors in Canada lost their lives! This tragedy shone a bright light on the state of elder care in this country. It also highlighted the need for well trained staff and the invaluable role of the informal caregiver.
A group of seniors at Century House reacted, and with a grant from the United Way, through the Seniors Embracing Technology (SET) program a webinar was held in September 2021 to discuss the broken state of Long Term Care.
Guest panelists— Gloria Gutman, professor Emeritus at SFU’s Gerontology Department; Isobel Mackenzie, BC Seniors Advocate; Jim Sinclair, Chair of the Fraser Health Authority and Andre Picard, Health Columnist for the Toronto Globe and Mail—volunteered their insight around the deteriorating condition of care for the elderly. The outcomes were consistent, the system must be changed!
From this event came a report titled The Right Person, The Right Time, The Right Place. It includes recommendations for change directed at all levels of government and seniors organizations. The overarching theme was the need to adopt the philosophy of Aging in Place: a plan to keep seniors in their homes, avoiding the need to move into a residential care setting prematurely. Care that supports independence, is timely, responds to need, and protects dignity and quality of life!
This affects us all, and we urge you to read the report and to join us in informing the public. It is Time for Change!!
Here’s the report:
Last Reviewed on 2023-06-30
