Long-Term Care Today
New Feature: News from the front lines in Seniors’ LTC, Inspired by Carol Wodak founding member of CITIZEN WATCH
BACKGROUNDER: CITIZEN WATCH was created as a public service for the people of Alberta. It was the work of an ever-widening network of individuals from across the province, including families and friends of long term care and assisted or supportive living residents and those requiring long term care supports in their own homes. CITIZEN WATCH WEBSITE
PRINTABLES:Carol’s carefully crafted carewatch content
RECENT PRINTABLES
When a crisis happens – and COVID is a crisis – we typically have to dig very deep internally, and sometimes externally by asking for help. Whether people are under financial strain and are being humbled by the need to skip a payment or ask for extensions – those things are hard on an individual’s psyche. If you can see something of an end or are able to find some help, that is beneficial.
Carla Prediger Manager for Community Addictions and Mental Health, (North Area and Central Zone) Lacombe Community Health
The for-profit long term care system for seniors is broken and we want it fixed before more lives are ruined. https://t.co/u3LCtTqIHK #abpoli #ableg #Alberta #LongTermCare
— Green Party of AB (@GreenPartyAB) June 2, 2020
Prime Minister Trudeau sent in the Canadian military to support and assist in Long Term Care homes. Trump sent in the military to clear a path for him to get to a photo op.
Stark contrast in the use of power.— Dan_GT2 (@Dan_GT2) June 2, 2020
85 year old David Stewart’s honest, humorous and thoughtful account of living through a #COVID-19 outbreak at one of Ontario’s worst affected homes. A must read + clear example why residents’ voices are the most important in our long-term care homes. https://t.co/4ALOeACwfi
— Samir Sinha (@DrSamirSinha) May 31, 2020
And half of the deaths occur in long term care homes for the elderly…https://t.co/QZhtwCNgHg
— Dr Jordan B Peterson (@jordanbpeterson) May 27, 2020
Main Headlines
GUNTER: Pandemic-caused isolation especially hard on seniors
This is Seniors’ Week in Alberta.
We’ve all had it rough over the past couple of months. Small business owners who have had to close, parents forced to stay home and find ways to amuse their out-of-school kids, employees who’ve lost their jobs and, of course, frontline workers.
But perhaps no Albertans have had it tougher than seniors.
And I don’t just mean the elevated rate of death among older Albertans.
Seniors in long-term care account for 76 per cent of the 143 COVID deaths in this province. Meanwhile, people over 70, whether in senior’s homes or not, make up nearly 85 per cent of all our province’s COVID fatalities.