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Review Of Marcy Cohen’s Presentation At The Fall Symposium

Review Of Marcy Cohen’s Presentation At The Fall Symposium Aging In Place: Living Up To The Promise, Now What?

Gloria Levi introduced Marcy Cohen of BC Health Coalition, an adjunct member of Simon Fraser University and a Research Associate with Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives who recently coauthored a study that was critical of BC’s home support system–Living Up to the Promise’.

Marcy Cohen adamantly stated that the goal is to create a better world for future generations but first we have to change the system, which is fragmented and broken. We need a ‘One Stop Shop’- where a team of health providers- a care advocacy group can provide services and supports needed for seniors to maintain their independence, remain socially active yet still be supported as their health declines.
Rising health costs of an aging population and finding solutions that maximize both cost effectiveness and health outcomes is one of the biggest challenges facing BC’s health care system and therefor affecting seniors.

From 2002 to 2010 access to home support services for people 75 and over declined by 30 percent. In 2014 the number receiving services was virtually unchanged. Yet, over those intervening 12 years, from 2002, there was a 49 percent increase in clients 80 and over and an increase in demand for home care.

BC had been a leader in providing prevention oriented home support services from 1960’s-to the mid 1990’s but this is no longer true. Now it provides the least. There is no continuity in caregivers and thus time is wasted in learning anew what the needs of each client are. Task-oriented care workers are unable to provide the care that the person in need is asking for at the moment since it wasn’t specified in the originally requested care package.

Discouraged, lonely, isolated, many seniors present themselves at the ER, blood pressure elevated from not having eaten, disoriented, depressed, they are admitted to the hospital as “social admits”.

Often, even after a needed hospitalization for a procedure, there can be a gap upon release because although capable to function when fully recovered, the period to recovery – is the gap time, where the system fails them. Some resort to private care but it is beyond the means of many at $24,000.

What makes a quality care health system? One that helps people remain functioning, capable and mentally stimulated. The Medical Association is now on board and suggesting that help is needed earlier on so it won’t be as traumatic when the time comes to help with personal care. Community health care workers and the system must support seniors with early intervention by alerting case managers or primary caregivers.

Multi-Disciplinary teamwork is a definite need, one based on Restorative Care focused on rebuilding connections for the seniors and helping them do tasks for themselves – although more time-consuming for caregivers – may result in assisting the seniors back into community life.

Marcy Cohen recommended an excellent pamphlet as a guide. It is called ‘My Voice’, DOWNLOAD IT HERE.

Gloria Levi summarized the session by saying that senior care is a complex issue on many levels that needs to be dealt with by continual discussion and adjustment. She stressed the need to combat society’s biased concept of ageism.

By Binny Goldman