CARP’s Chief Policy Officer, Marissa Lennox was in attendance as the Ontario Government formally reaffirmed a commitment in the 2020 budget to provide free dental care for low income seniors. With over half of CARP members in Ontario having lost their dental coverage with retirement, we’re glad to see the government prioritizing care for our rapidly growing population of older adults.
ON Gov reaffirms commitment in budget to provide low income #seniors w/ dental care @fordnation @RaymondChoPC @celliottability @LisaLevin1 #onpoli pic.twitter.com/cRVUKKpzNG
— CARP Advocacy (@CarpAdvocacy) November 20, 2019
While this program is a positive step toward keeping Ontario’s seniors out of hospitals, there’s still much more to be done to fix our broken health care system.
“Many Canadians do not realize that their dental health is inextricably linked with their overall health and, as result, choose not to prioritize dental hygiene where costs are a barrier,” says Lennox. “Poor dental hygiene can affect general health and quality of life both directly and indirectly. Much like our work on preventive health with vaccines, CARP is committed to keeping seniors our of hospital hallways, and this is a positive step forward,”
CARP will continue to work with the Ontario Government to improve the lives of all Ontario seniors.
