With COVID-19 we are all experiencing the same storm, in different boats. Seniors have been designated to the vulnerable boat.
Ageism can harm. Research shows older adults with negative attitudes about ageing may live 7.5 fewer years than positive-minded seniors.
Ageism can cause physical decline: cardiovascular stress, lowered levels of self-efficacy and decreased productivity. Studies on mental health and ageism confirm seniors run a high risk of experiencing depression.
Unlike other prejudices such as racism and sexism, ageism targets our future selves. We may not be able to prevent people’s attitudes, but we can employ strategies to generate support for senior care.
Ask yourself, “How do you want to live out the end of your days?”
Usually, the answer includes being in a place surrounded by people who care.
The COVID-19 crisis has raised and magnified concerns and failings. Long-term care residents have suffered in disproportionate numbers. A crisis existed long before COVID-19 came to Canada.
We generally love our elders and hope to live a long life -- why hasn’t this translated into public policy?
The Globe and Mail reported a growing number of COVID-19 infections and fatalities in 600 nursing and retirement homes across Canada.
These numbers are sadly expected to rise. This fact is connected to the approach to senior care that has been public policy for years.
Senior care homes, whether independent, assisted living or long-term, suffer from the same patchwork approach.
There is growing privatization, fewer public dollars, placing financial strain on many seniors and their families.
We’ve learned steep monthly fees do not always guarantee even basic care needs.
The positions in these facilities, unless unionized, are often casual or part-time with low pay and offer little or no benefits.
Often, caregivers work in more than one care home to make ends meet.
Without full-time employment, paid vacation, or a pension, it may be difficult for these caregivers to remain loyal. There is high turn-over and homes are regularly short-staffed. In the case of COVID-19 many caregivers did not show up for work. As a result, in a Quebec long-term care facility seniors died of neglect. Some workers in these institutions did not have the required protective equipment.
There is no overall federal strategy to coordinate regulations and care in seniors’ homes.
Without a federal strategy for senior care our most vulnerable population is left in the care of (mostly) private corporations and governments that have not made seniors a priority. This must change.
Alberta’ Chief Medical Officer of Health for Alberta Dr. Deena Hinshaw said “It is not acceptable that senior Albertans are being put at risk in a place where their health is supposed to be protected.”
Dr. Tam, the chief medical officer for Canada, said that what was happening with the care of our seniors during COVID-19 will be “the tragic legacy of this pandemic.”
The opportunity to forge change now exists.
You can contact your MLA Nathan Cooper at Box 3909, 4905-50 Ave. Olds, AB or (403)556-3132 and/or your MP Earl Dreeshen at 4315-55 Ave., Suite 100A, Red Deer, AB, T4N4N7 or call (403)347-7426 or 1-866-211-0959.
A final thought with a hopeful note:
Anthropologist Margaret Mead was once asked what she considered the first sign of civilization.
Her response was. “Helping someone through difficulty is where civilization starts’. We are at our best when we serve others.”
Age Friendly Committee of Olds Institute
