FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 8, 2013
Toronto, ON: CARP calls Ontario seniors’ care strategy “bold and robust” and calls on the Minister of Health to implement it as soon as possible
The province’s Provincial Seniors Strategy Expert Lead, Dr. Samir Sinha, has released a report making sweeping recommendations to better provide acute and continuing care to Ontario’s seniors [summary attached below]. It calls for better coordination of services, a patient focused approach and specific measures to address problems for seniors in their interaction with the formal health care system. Chief among these specific issues are access to primary care, acute and chronic care in the home, support for family caregivers and involvement of the broader social services and housing as part of the strategy. According to the report, all recommendations can be achieved without additional funding or resources.
The Living Longer, Living Well report takes a values based approach to providing health care services coordinated with the patient at the centre, something that CARP has called for in its “One Patient” position paper. The recommendations cover the full range of issues that patients often confront in their interaction with the health care system.
“This is a robust set of recommendations that can turn the page on the state of seniors’ care in Ontario and serve as a blueprint for other provinces. Some things are as simple as coordination of information and care. Other measures require proactive intervention such as promoting geriatrics training. Still others can increase care standards, such as accreditation for Personal Services Workers, without massive new funding or resources. All the recommendations hold promise. The next step is immediate implementation”, said Susan Eng, VP, Advocacy for CARP.
“The report takes direct aim at the core of Seniors’ care today – access to primary care and home care, things our members cite time and again.”, added Eng
Notable recommendations include:
- Ensure all Older Ontarians can have a family doctor
- Nursing homes to be community care hubs including short stay, home care and caregiver support
- Education standards, registration and complaints process for Personal Services Workers
- Launch Hospital at Home
- Prioritize training in geriatrics and access to services
CARP calls the Report “bold” because it names a central underlying problem. Calling on the hospitals to become “Senior Friendly” begs the question of what they were before and lest there is any confusion, this direction is backed up by including the requirement in accountability agreements to be followed by the hospitals.
“The first time any hospital personnel is disciplined for referring to seniors stuck in Alternate Level of Care beds through no fault of their own as “bed blockers” will be the first test of the new attitude towards seniors’ care in our hospitals”, added Eng.
For CARP’s One Patient brief. https://carp-20230727.s3.amazonaws.com/2013/01/One-Patient-Brief-Updated-Oct-18.pdf
Read the summary of the recommendations.
CARP is a national, non-partisan, non-profit organization committed to advocating for a New Vision of Aging for Canada, social change that will bring financial security, equitable access to health care and freedom from discrimination. CARP seeks to ensure that the marketplace serves the needs and expectations of our generation and provides value-added benefits, products and services to our members. Through our network of chapters across Canada, CARP is dedicated to building a sense of community and shared values among our members in support of CARP’s mission.
For further information, please contact:
Sarah Park 416.607.2471
Media Relations, Policy Researcher and Coordinator
[email protected]
Michael Nicin 416.607.2479
Director of Policy
[email protected]
for
Susan Eng
Vice President, Advocacy
CARP, A New Vision of Aging for Canada
or visit our website: www.carp.ca
