Posts Tagged ‘mental Health’

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Mental health crisis teams are a first step to ending tragic deaths

Thursday, January 28th, 2021

People calling for help in the midst of a medical crisis need appropriate help, not an armed response. Not only are police not needed for the vast majority of mental health crisis calls, they have proven, time and again, that they don’t have the right skills for them… A team of specially trained civilians is clearly the better response. But these crisis teams are not a magic bullet to ending bad experiences and tragic deaths of people in the throes of a mental health crisis at the hands of police… people need access to mental health services, not just a more successful response to a crisis call.

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Food banks don’t reduce food insecurity, so why did the federal government give them $200 million in emergency aid?

Wednesday, January 27th, 2021

… the emergency food sector… “started quite innocently and very thoughtfully and from a very caring and compassionate place, but … it has zero impact on the overall problem.” … their respective annual reports repeatedly call for policy changesto reduce poverty, from raising social assistance rates to implementing universal child care… While food charities can play a meaningful role in building community… it’s more important than ever to be clear that they’re not the answer.

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Ontario adding mental health beds in 16 hospitals as COVID-19 takes a toll

Monday, January 25th, 2021

Ontario is adding mental health beds in 16 hospitals to cope with increased demand and will increase funding for a seniors’ help line as pandemic lockdowns continue under the state of emergency and stay-at-home orders… The new beds account for most of the $12 million set aside for the expansions in mental health services, which include $130,000 for the Seniors Safety Line to hire and train more operators to meet higher volumes of calls to their toll-free number 1-866-299-1011.

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It’s time to rethink long-term care for seniors

Monday, January 11th, 2021

To change the status quo requires a reimagined vision transforming “long-term care” into “networks of caring” that support seniors in living meaningful lives… the following ingredients are essential… Maximize each person’s capacities and compensate for deficits, fostering a sense of success and self-respect… emphasize flexible resources tailored for the person… help individuals and small groups develop supports for their LTC needs where they already live… if congregate LTC-type housing is needed, small and dispersed is good.

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Shining a light on the future of seniors’ care

Thursday, January 7th, 2021

… we propose a proactive, co-ordinated, and holistic model that considers the health-care needs of Canada’s rapidly aging population in tandem with seniors’ housing, lifestyle, and social needs… The predominant policy of meeting the needs of seniors continues to be to “warehouse” them in long-term care (LTC) homes… Not only are LTC-homes expensive for the health-care system, many seniors do not want to live there; they want to “age in place” by continuing to exercise their independence by living in the community they love.

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New Year, Same Work Anxiety.  How capitalism makes work-life ‘balance’ feel impossible

Monday, January 4th, 2021

Keeping us anxiously tethered to work ensures we’ll keep working, because, for a lot of people, is there really another option? We need a solid safety net… one that ensures that losing income or employment doesn’t have cascading effects on housing security or health security. The pandemic isn’t disappearing in 2021, and neither is the need to reconsider work policies and structures that don’t so tightly tie our time, worth and lives to our jobs. This is a problem that won’t be fixed by reminders to “make time for you.”

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The doctor is online: COVID-19 let the technological revolution finally find its way to Canadian health care. Now, the hard part begins

Sunday, January 3rd, 2021

Due more to systemic inertia than technological lag, Canadian doctors are only now arriving to the technological age… provinces need to be asking questions about how to build a regulatory environment around virtual care — one that sets standards for virtual care that are at the same level as in-person care, and ensures patient data is protected.

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The best available science supports allowing family and caregivers into hospitals, not restricting them

Thursday, December 31st, 2020

COVID-19 has been the focus of historically intense study. And reviewing this literature suggests that at most, hospital visitors play a small role in disease transmission… family and caregivers… facilitate communication and decision-making, and act as patient advocates and substitute decision-makers when patients are no longer capable… The risk-benefit ratio of existing science now clearly favours allowing family and caregivers to visit hospitalized patients. It’s also the humane thing to do.

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Province invests $47 million in supportive housing programs

Friday, December 11th, 2020

… more individuals who are homeless or at risk of homelessness and live with mental health and addictions issues will have increased access to the community supports they need… CMHA Ontario advocates that stable housing is a key determinant of good health. Read more on the relationship between housing and mental health here.

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What if we were as serious about ending violence as ending the pandemic?

Tuesday, December 8th, 2020

At the beginning of the lockdowns, women found it difficult to flee their abusers; as lockdowns eased and they returned to shelters, workers noticed an escalation in the severity of violence they were reporting – more broken bones, more strangulation, more sexual violence… If this year has taught us anything, it’s our ability to work collectively to end a public health crisis. But we have to open our eyes first.

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