Long-Term Care

75 articles
by Monica Parry

Can we afford to keep ignoring the health of unpaid caregivers?

Unpaid caregivers must be a priority focus if we are to sustain the future of our healthcare system. We absolutely cannot afford to keep the health of unpaid caregivers in Canada invisible.

by Maddi Dellplain

Resolutions and solutions: Health-care experts set goals for 2024

In a time of upheaval and undoubtedly significant professional strain, we wanted to know what health-care experts themselves had on their New Year’s resolution lists.

by Jayden Battey Peter Zhang

Prescribing community for mental health – lessons from Australia

Without the right combination of medication, housing and community, patients can receive treatment only to find themselves lonely, disconnected, homeless, incarcerated or back in hospital again. Housing communities may offer help.

by James Janeiro

Canada’s diverse caregiving community in dire need of federal strategy

Canada is a nation of caregivers. But caregivers and care recipients alike are at risk for burnout. We need a concerted policy response that meets caregivers where they are.

by Samantha Winemaker

End-of-life care – Infusing the ‘person’ back into the ‘patient’

At the end of life, we are at risk of losing our sense of self because with the diagnosis of an illness, we begin a problematic health-care journey at a time when the preservation of “me” is so very important.

by Saleem Kamalodeen

Long-term care in Ontario in need of an overhaul

Money alone won’t fix the long-term care crisis in Ontario. While it is true that increased funding is part of the solution, the reality is that a paradigm shift is essential.

by Zier Zhou

Canada’s first publicly funded ‘dementia village’ is set to open next year. So, what is it?

One in four seniors aged 85 and older is diagnosed with dementia. Novel ways of caring for dementia patients are urgently needed. Dementia villages are designed to prioritize patients' safety and support without compromising their autonomy and community.

by Zier Zhou

What Canada can learn about MAiD for mental illness from Belgium and the Netherlands

Canadians are clearly divided on MAiD based solely on mental illness. From federal laws and legal cases to medical guidelines and published studies in Belgium and the Netherlands, we can make more informed decisions regarding MAiD eligibility for psychiatric patients.

by Clare Liddy Deanne Houghton

Is anyone listening to Canada’s caregivers?

Caregivers are essential, but they feel overwhelmed and undervalued. National and provincial strategies focusing on supporting them are needed.

by Darren Cargill

Palliative pixie dust

Just as Disney World has grown and evolved, so must palliative care. The time for Ontario to update palliative care into the 21st century may have arrived.

by Maddi Dellplain

‘Technology to help bridge the gap’: Smart homes and sensors ease caregiver burden

Smart home technology has become ubiquitous in recent years. Now researchers in Ottawa are finding ways to use this same technology to aid health-care workers, family caregivers, and allow patients to age in place.

by Stephen B. Singh Pamela Liao Joyce Cheung Jacqueline Carverhill Brian Berger

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.

by Rebekah Sibbald Larry W. Chambers

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.

by Amy Hwang

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.

by Catharine Chambers Nicole Naimer Maddi Dellplain ... ...

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.

by Maddi Dellplain ... ...

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.

by Robert Sibbald

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.

by Peter Allatt Bob Parke

 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.

by Cathryn Hoy

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.

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