CARP Says Now Seniors May Get Better Treatment from Hospitals When They Need Home Care or Long Term Care

TORONTO May 30, 2008: CARP, Canada’s Association for the Fifty Plus, welcomes the announcement of $109 million to deal with emergency room wait times by making sure people who need long term care or home care get it.

“CARP has advocated for reduction in wait times but we want to make sure that it is not done at the expense of the health and safety of people, mostly seniors, who are being pressured to leave acute care beds” said Susan Eng, Vice President of Advocacy for CARP. “This funding should remove that pressure but hospital attitudes have to change too” Eng added.

“We have received numerous complaints about seniors being forced to accept the first available long term care bed, regardless of its suitability, or face paying upwards to $1000 per day of their continued hospital stay” said Jane Meadus, Institutional Advocate, Advocacy Centre for the Elderly

“We hope that the new funding will mean that hospitals will no longer put such pressure on people when they are at their most vulnerable” added Meadus.

It was also announced that Dr. Kevin Smith would lead the Expert Panel on Alternate Level of Care.

“We are recommending that the Expert Panel consult directly with patient and seniors’ advocacy groups in considering the issues that CARP hears about almost daily regarding how seniors and their families are caught between the challenges in ERs and the difficulties of finding appropriate alternate care on an urgent basis”, added Eng.

CARP Canada’s Association for the Fifty Plus is a national, non-partisan, non-profit organization committed to advocating for social change that will bring financial security, equitable access to health care and freedom from discrimination; ensuring that the marketplace serves the needs and expectations of our generation and providing value-added benefits, products and services to members; and building a sense of community and shared values among our members in support of CARP’s mission.

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For further information, please contact: Michelle Taylor, Communications Coordinator CARP 416.363.2277 x.236

Susan Eng, Vice President Advocacy CARP 416.363.2277 x.226

Jane Meadus, Institutional Advocate Advocacy Centre for the Elderly 416.598.2656

Ministry of Health news release : News Release