Aging

Dementia care in need of province-wide network in MINT condition

Ontario does not have a standardized primary care model for dementia. But for other prevalent health conditions, Ontario has provincial clinical networks. Such a network should be established for dementia care too. Here's why.

COVID-19 fallout an opportunity to fix crisis in care

Sharon Straus is a geriatrician and physician-in-chief at St. Michael’s Hospital, among other leadership roles. We're profiling her as a Pillars of the Pandemic honouree.

Love for grandmother ‘a driving force’ during pandemic

Nathan Stall is a geriatrician and scientist who fought against the heartbreaking toll that the pandemic had on the elderly and those in long-term care. We're profiling him as a Pillars of the Pandemic honouree.

Ontario’s plan to hire 4,000 LTC staff is misguided. Here’s why.

The Ontario government’s plan to invest $260 million and hire 4,000 staff in the long-term care sector is yet another ineffective attempt to solve the crisis of the PSW shortage without addressing the bigger issue: retaining the folks in these positions.

Let’s invest in helping more seniors stay at home – and stay active

As the percentage of elderly Ontarians increases, we should spend more of our tax dollars not on care homes, but rather community-based services that will help seniors age at home.

Healing through community: Reflecting on collective grief from COVID-19

We are grieving loss of life on a mass scale at a time when pandemic restrictions have disrupted our customary death rituals and traditions. Could an initiative called The Reflection Room help LTC residents and others cope with their grief?

Integrating care to fill the gap for seniors’ physical, mental health

Mental and physical health are often treated separately, even though they're closely linked. That disconnect can be even worse for seniors, whose care is often fragmented to begin with. But one program is trying to change that.

‘You can’t manage what you don’t measure’: Hospitals slow to recognize increasing number of dementia patients

In our hospitals, we have no systems in place to identify people living with dementia, measure how many there are or how their dementia impacts our care. And hospitals are not implementing programs to improve.

Preventing violence against older women: A time for action

There is an epidemic that is often overlooked that has gotten worse during COVID-19 – the abuse and neglect of older adults, particularly older women.

Seniors with dementia in LTC homes are using virtual reality to relive their pasts

During the pandemic, elderly people with dementia in long-term care homes have used virtual reality to relive their pasts. Is this dementia care's future?

COVID mortality rate highlights need to re-examine long-term care 

The tragedy of COVID-19 deaths in long-term care homes should catalyze a paradigm shift in Canada’s approach to promoting the health of our aging population.

‘The way I talk has become different’: Isolation taking mental toll on LTC residents

Many elderly adults with dementia in long-term care homes have experienced a large increase in memory loss due to the isolation caused by visitor restrictions.

One Solution to the Long-Term Care Crisis: Nurse Practitioners

The pandemic has brutally exposed vulnerabilities in long-term care homes, but one solution is hiding in plain sight: nurse practitioners.

As isolation nears its dreary end, we need a plan for brain health

As we emerge from the pandemic, we need a plan to optimize physical health and ensure good vision and hearing to enable people to stay sharp and reduce isolation and depression.

Ontario’s inadequate homecare forcing seniors into hospitals

Before the pandemic, we knew our discharged patients were falling through the cracks. It has become even more apparent now.

Informed Consent: Should geriatric populations be told about limited representation in vaccine clinical trials?

There are ethical questions over whether certain seniors in long-term care or their designated decision-makers have the information needed to give informed consent to receiving a COVID-19 vaccine.

Intermittent Fasting: Changing the tides of dementia

IF has been shown to be an effective intervention against obesity, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and chronic diseases such as diabetes and cancer. But what about dementia?

Ontario’s long-term care sector is in a grave humanitarian crisis

We are a group of physicians, researchers and advocates who have come together to express our grave concern for the safety and well-being of Ontarians who reside in long-term care (LTC) homes.

‘A tattoo for mom?’ Ageism Unmasked

Everyday, compassionate ageism doesn’t just feel bad, it’s bad for our health. And it can lead to terrible public policy.

The dangers of financialized long-term care

Jackie Brown makes the compelling case that the staggering loss of life seen within long-term care homes during the first wave was in part the product of an economic regime that values the profits of shareholders over the lives of the vulnerable.