Today’s letters: Old thinking on elder care won’t cut it anymore

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Long-term care should be a home, not an institution

Re: Old ways of thinking aren’t going to fix Canada’s health care, March 25.

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Michel Bilodeau couldn’t have said it more eloquently. That’s exactly why CARP Ottawa is advocating to change Ontario’s long-term care homes from “institutions” to “homes,” notwithstanding that we recognize the need for improvement across the continuum of health care.

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Many ideas Bilodeau highlights have already been addressed by a few homes in Ontario that have implemented an innovative model of care — such as the Eden Alternative, the Butterfly Approach and the Green House. These proven approaches to care all promote relationships between residents, staff, volunteers and family members; provide home-like environments with between eight and 16 residents; allow for flexible resident schedules and preferences; and encourage resident participation in meaningful activities and family involvement.

These homes have succeeded in both the public and private sector; have had excellent leadership willing to tackle the fundamental change so desperately needed; have learned from countries where these approaches have long been successfully implemented (including England and the United States); and have had better outcomes both pre- and during the pandemic: fewer cases and deaths from COVID, fewer medications; fewer behavioural issues; less staff turnover; fewer staff sick days; and fewer visits of residents to emergency departments.

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Let’s hope the Ontario government, in its haste to build more large long-term care homes to meet the huge need, also has a strategic plan that goes over and above increasing the capacity of beds and actually improves quality of life. Our seniors deserve nothing less. Doing it the old way just won’t “cut it.”

Barbara Schulman, Ottawa, member, CARP Ottawa Advocacy Working Group on Long-term Care

Long-term care is sometimes still best option

Re: Despite falls, I’m keeping my husband home as long as possible, March 27.

Iris Winston is performing an admirable feat enabling her husband to remain at home “where he belongs” and out of long-term care.

But not every family caregiver is able “mentally, physically and emotionally” to provide what’s needed for their loved one as well as what’s needed for themselves.

My 50-year-old daughter with early onset Parkinson’s has been in long-term care for a year now, where she has received excellent and empathetic care. She receives her many medications at the appropriate times and her physical health needs are well looked after. She has friends among the other residents and participates in stimulating group activities daily. She is living a better life than she would have at home.

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There are many options when additional care is needed, and sometimes long-term care is the right answer.

Louise Rachlis, Ottawa

Social media giants aren’t solely to blame

Re: OCDSB launches $450M lawsuit seeking changes to social media, April 2.

The current state of society can’t be blamed on just one thing. Social media companies do take advantage and do encourage the addictive nature of their products, but there are four players in this problem: tech companies; parents; students; and teachers.

The parents and teachers should have more responsible input into this problem. Tech companies are there for the money, but the parents and teachers are the adults in the room, so simply paying lawyers to pursue a case that they most likely won’t win, will go nowhere, and is a waste of a great deal of money. The blame game won’t work in this instance. It’s really all about the parents and the teachers. Don’t sue; take ownership of this problem.

Douglas Cornish, Ottawa

Food for students, food for our military?

Re: Soldiers had to rely on food donations because of lack of military support during Ottawa training, April 2.

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I see the prime minister pledges to spend $1 billion over five years to help out food programs for schools. It’s about time this was done, considering it was promised in the 2021 election campaign. My question is, why now? Is it because the money has just now become available, or is it because another election is coming up and the Liberals are trailing in the polls?

The government’s spending priorities need a shake-up. It’s admirable that they are going to spend this money (culminating after the next election), but they are also cutting money in the wrong places. At the Department of National Defence, David Pugliese reports, recruits taking a course here in Ottawa have had to rely on food donations because DND can’t afford to support them. Why has this been allowed to happen?

Supporting recruits on a course would cost maybe $50,000, and is happening right now. I would suggest that this should have been a higher priority than a spending promise which may not even happen by this fall when it is needed for the schools?

Edward Jones, Ottawa

Bluesfest is doing better than most

Re: Cash Crunch Blues: Ottawa’s iconic tulip festival is facing a major cash crunch — and it’s not alone, March 30.

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I was surprised to see a photo of the executive director of Ottawa Bluesfest in a story about the funding struggles of our local festivals. The story notes that Bluesfest is likely the least impacted as only 10 per cent of its budget comes from the government, but 10 per cent of $20 million is still significantly more than other local festivals combined could ever hope to see.

Let’s not forget that back in 2022 the federal government allocated $10 million to support local festivals and tourism in the Ottawa area, of which Bluesfest was given $9.8 million. More like being crushed under a pile of cash than a “cash-crunch.”

Charles Crisp, Ottawa

More international flights must return to YOW

Re: Letter: Bring international flights back to the city and Letter: YOW doesn’t decide which airlines land here, March 30. 

I long for the day when we can again take more international flights directly from the Ottawa International  Airport. We have a beautiful and modern airport in Ottawa.  Let us use it was it was intended.

The effort, extra time involved, and extra cost to travel via Toronto or Montreal are all exhausting and were not deemed necessary in the past. In addition to the risk of possibly missing a connection, there is more risk to our luggage. Just last month, both my husband’s and my cases were badly damaged on the connecting flight from Toronto and the compensating funds received were far less than the replacement of the case.

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Let us work together to bring back what we so value — our fully functioning airport.

Hally Siddons, Ottawa

Politician raises are simply shameless

Re: Here are the 80 MPs set to qualify for a pension with the help of a Liberal rule change, March 26.

In the corporate world, shareholders are now successfully objecting to greedy, self-serving directors, management and major shareholders attempting to grant themselves ridiculous pay, severance and “Golden Parachute” retirement packages.

It appears the Canadian public, the shareholders, need to apply the same effort to our already well-compensated members of the House of Commons and the Senate. This shameless dipping into “our” financial pot must be stopped!

Peter Vanderburg, Ottawa

Poilievre should tackle those MP and Senate raises

Here’s a new slogan for Pierre Poilievre: Reverse the raise.

Louise Carisse, Gatineau

A lovely gesture outside our home

Recently my husband and I downsized to a smaller home and had a surplus of good ”stuff” we needed to be rid of. After reaching out to local charities, friends and relatives, we put the remaining items at the curb with a sign saying “free stuff.”

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Happily everything was taken, and on removing the sign signifying free stuff my husband found $3 in change tucked under the sign. How sweet and kind was that? We have no idea who left the money but the gesture made our hearts swell. Thank you so much. This world needs more like you right now.

Beth Caldwell, Ottawa

Shawarmas are not our only claim to fame

Re: Proclaiming Ottawa the shawarma capital. If 200-plus shawarma restaurants makes Ottawa the “Shawarma Capital of Canada,” we’ve also got a lock on “Pothole Capital of Canada.”

Ken Anderson, Ottawa

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