Posts Tagged ‘disabilities’

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Canada needs to start taking long-term care more seriously

Saturday, July 11th, 2020

There is a consensus developing among provincial politicians and advocates for senior citizens that only Ottawa can provide the funding needed to better train and better pay care workers… But if Ottawa is going to pony up, then it can and should set national standards.

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Posted in Inclusion Policy Context | No Comments »


Defining disability for social assistance in Ontario: Options for moving forward

Tuesday, June 30th, 2020

A stable and well-functioning social support system for people with disabilities in financial need will be crucial during and after the crisis. This report explores the role of ODSP, the risks of narrowing the definition of disability, models of disability assessment from other jurisdictions, and alternative ways that the government could reform the program… A simplified assessment system would save time and money for applicants, medical professionals, legal clinics, adjudicators, and the Social Benefits Tribunal.

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Posted in Social Security Policy Context | No Comments »


Ontario to fully fund nursing homes despite lower occupancies

Wednesday, June 24th, 2020

Restricting admissions to single- and double-occupancy rooms will exacerbate a chronic shortage of long-term care beds in Ontario… the government’s ban on new admissions to ward rooms will eliminate 4,303 beds, representing 5.5 per cent of the province’s total… those who no longer need acute care but have nowhere else to go, reached a historic high of 5,300 as of Monday.

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Posted in Health Delivery System | No Comments »


The case for putting seniors’ care under the Canada Health Act

Sunday, May 10th, 2020

One of the most critical undertakings by governments across the country over the past five to 10 years has been reining in runaway health care budgets. And most governments have been successful in doing so. Adding long-term care to health budgets would be a serious blow to those efforts. Then again, maybe Canadians can agree that this is something that needs to be financed… “It would be the first big expansion of our medicare system that has happened in decades…”

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Posted in Health Policy Context | No Comments »


This is the model for long-term care we need and deserve

Friday, May 8th, 2020

… all organizations need adequately paid and trained staff to accomplish their mission… Another prerequisite is non-profit personal care… we want to minimize the incentives for underservicing… There are two major strategies for LTC reform. The first is a different LTC institution. The second is to move LTC to the community… the Program for All-inclusive Care for the Elderly… PACE provides all needed health services at home 24/7… let’s save billions of dollars in bricks and mortar with a Canadian version PACE.

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Posted in Child & Family Debates, Equality Debates | No Comments »


Mike Harris expanded the privatization of long-term care. Doug Ford is discovering that wasn’t a magic cure

Tuesday, May 5th, 2020

There is a contradiction in the criticisms of long-term care: We want to have it all for nothing — better beds but more of them; more quantity and more quality; single rooms with private bathrooms but without the wait lists; more for less… Today, in a pandemic cycle, beware the panaceas.

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Posted in Child & Family Policy Context | 12 Comments »


The COVID-19 pandemic shines a light on our failing: We need paid, respected community health workers

Tuesday, April 21st, 2020

The virus has exposed the need for a public-health system that more strongly integrates community-level responsiveness with the needs of vulnerable populations as part of its daily practice, as well as in times of crisis… we have no excuse not to invest in the human capital and community supports that would allow core public-health activities to be fully effective year-round.

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Posted in Health Debates | No Comments »


Ontario to allow people on social assistance to keep part of emergency benefits

Tuesday, April 21st, 2020

More than 960,000 Ontarians rely on social assistance, but only about 75,000 report earned income, according to provincial data. Ottawa began issuing CERB payments April 6 for workers who lost their jobs or are earning less than $1,000 a month due to the pandemic and have earned at least $5,000 in the past 12 months. Payments are expected to continue for four months… The clawback is estimated to be worth about $30 million a month, according to a provincial government official.

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Posted in Social Security Delivery System | No Comments »


Ontario seeks more information from Ottawa on how to treat CERB for people on social assistance

Friday, April 17th, 2020

… until the province determines how to treat the CERB, case workers have been told not to record the income in Ontario’s computerized benefits system, where the extra cash may trigger automatic clawbacks and even termination of benefits, including drug and medical coverage… A coalition of more than 130 health-care workers, community agencies and Ontarians living in poverty … [are] urging Queen’s Park to boost social assistance rates and not to claw back the CERB from those on OW and ODSP.

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Posted in Social Security Debates | No Comments »


Canada’s senior-care crisis has been long in the works

Thursday, April 16th, 2020

As a country, we need to rethink how we approach long-term care from top to bottom. And we don’t have a lot of time to do it. A 2017 Conference Board study estimated that, to meet demand, Canada needs to nearly double the number of long-term care beds available to about 450,000 by 2035. We can’t afford to do it on the cheap.

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Posted in Child & Family Policy Context | 1 Comment »


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