Aging

Hospice care, not hospital beds: Investing in palliative care will help solve the health-care crisis

6,000 patients in Ontario currently need an “Alternate Level of Care” (ALC). They do not need to be in hospital, but there is nowhere safe for them to go. Government investment in palliative care is a crucial part of the solution.

The case for mature medical students

Many professional programs in Canada have long touted values that promote diversity of experience. But when it comes to medical schools - little consideration is made for older, more experienced candidates.

The key to living longer and better? Dying at home

Despite our preferences, most Canadians do not have the privilege of dying at home. Although it is not possible to guarantee a good death, it is possible to reduce your risk of a bad death by thinking and talking about end-of-life.

The gift of a better death

Canadians need universal and equitable access to high-quality palliative care. It’s time to talk about death and dying more openly and ask ourselves: What is a good death?

Plan on ‘aging in place’? Start early and be patient

Alcina Sung and the Togethering team are compiling resources that may better educate families, designers and developers on accessibility considerations and other resources to make aging at home a reality for as long as possible.

The Faces & Phases of COVID-19

The Faces/Phases Project is a portrait of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. Through a series of data visualizations, we cover the first two years of the pandemic.

The ABCs of combating ageism

We all need to rethink aging. Not only do our beliefs about aging play an essential role in the aging process, but changing these beliefs is not as hard as we might think.

The Plan to Stay Open: Relief for our beleaguered health-care system or a move to further privatization?

Ontario’s Plan to Stay Open, a five-point strategy aimed at “health-care system stability and recovery,” has been the subject of much debate since its final release in August. We asked a panel of experts what they thought about the plan. Here's what they had to say.

We must confront our dementia challenges now

Every year, thousands of Canadians receive the news that they, or someone they love, have been diagnosed with dementia. Finding solutions requires the commitments of all levels of government and Canadians themselves to make changes to their day-to-day lives.

More Beds, Better Care Act: Ethical controversy or a better use of public money?

The More Beds, Better Care Act shouldn't be considered controversial. Is it going to make a significant dent in our ALC numbers? Probably not. But that isn’t because the concept of quickly moving patients out of situations whose resources are misaligned to patient need is a bad – or unethical – idea.

 A public policy dead end: The More Beds, Better Care Act

Bill 7, the More Beds, Better Care Act, is a hotbed of ethical issues that will fail to relieve our stressed hospital system. It's ethically and legally unsustainable, and as public policy - it’s a dead end.

Lack of political will means Ontario LTC residents will continue to suffer

Ontario’s LTC nurses want to be there to provide quality care to our residents. We know how to fix the system and do just that. But we need the political will to make it happen.

‘Literally, neither here nor there’: Caring for aging loved ones from a distance

A growing number of us are caring for aging parents and loved ones from a distance. Thanks in part to technology, intergenerational families separated by borders and oceans can stay connected and offer support. A dozen distant caregivers highlight the unique and invisible challenges they face and offer learning opportunities.

Episode 44 – Tranexamic Acid in Non-Cardiac Surgery and Post-ICU Syndrome

Rethinking aging as it applies to the brain

Research from the last decade has upended much of what we thought we knew about dementia and the aging brain. As we're now living longer, its important to learn what changes we need to make individually and culturally to increase our brains ability at any age. 

Tapping into the power of hope

Learning about a patient’s hopes can create an opportunity for both special intervention and improve goals of care conversations and assist doctors in crafting a care plan that will optimize the chances of these dreams coming true. The Oneday Dreams charity offers the hope for better quality of life to patients with terminal illness.

Re-evaluating visitor restrictions

While visitor policies have undoubtedly helped prevent COVID transmission in hospitals, as we move away from a crisis response to COVID-19, caregivers and families may once again be able to support patients alongside their health-care teams.

Togethering – An array of flexible housing options

The latest in the Togethering series looks at the spectrum of common housing options available to seniors and provides a roadmap for conversations with the elders in your life.

There is no debate – Patient Medical Homes are the way to go

The Patient's Medical Home is a vision for the future of family practice in Canada: One that focuses on comprehensive, coordinated, and continuing care for populations through a family physician working with health care teams.

Togethering as a frustrating, messy yet meaningful journey

For part four of the Togethering Series, Amy reflects on how the pandemic and her mother's heightened and unpredictable home care needs caused her family to come together to take care of each other in seemingly impossible yet profoundly meaningful ways.