Promising practices

On June 17, the federal government announced Canada’s first national dementia strategy. The guiding principle of this ambitious strategy envisions a future wherein all Canadians living with dementia and their caregivers are supported.

Geriatric day hospitals are community-based or hospital outpatient programs intended to prevent unnecessary emergency department visits, hospital admissions and nursing home admissions

Treating senior patients at home, where they feel most comfortable: it’s such a simple idea, but making it happen in Quebec City required both inspiration and follow-through.

What if technology could be used to enable seniors with reduced autonomy to live at home for as long as possible?

In November 2018, the Canadian Medical Association (CMA), along with other stakeholders, attended a roundtable meeting hosted by the Canadian Association for Long Term Care (CALTC). The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the widespread effects of shortages in the health care workforce (known as health human resources or HHR) on seniors care.

For aging in place to be maximally effective, multidimensional preventative home-visit programs (MPHVPs) focusing on multidisciplinary assessment, diagnostics and intervention targeted to keeping seniors at home are essential.

Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House, a community group that provides services for everyone from seniors to babies in a culturally diverse population, used their $10,000 grant from the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) Foundation to start their Nourishing our Seniors at Home (NOSH) program.

Does someone you love suffer from dementia?

Today the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) is celebrating National Physician’s Day.

Roughly half a million Canadians are currently living with dementia; by 2031, the Alzheimer Society of Canada expects that number to double.

Thanks to a Healthy Canadians Grant, a community group in rural St. Ann’s Bay, Nova Scotia, is introducing an innovative program targeting isolated seniors in the community.

The significant increase in the population of seniors means it is more important than ever to make adaptations to physical environments and transportation so that they are accessible to people with differing levels of independence and who use mobility aids such as walkers, wheelchairs, scooters and canes.

Alzheimer’s disease and dementia rob those affected of their most precious possession — their memories. A new project funded in part by a Healthy Canadians Grant aims to improve memory recall in seniors living with these conditions by allowing them to virtually visit familiar places from their past.

The Canadian Medical Association (CMA) and its’ campaign Demand a Plan are proud to participate in Canadian Patient Safety Week 2018, taking place from October 29th to November 2nd.

Many seniors in our communities are isolated and don’t have access to nutritious foods.

Imagine walking around the world without ever leaving your hometown.

For many people, animals are an important part of their lives. For seniors, especially those who are socially isolated or living in nursing homes, hospitals or retirement residences, animals can provide comfort and companionship, reduce stress and promote a sense of joy and well-being.

In Surrey, British Columbia, plans are underway to build a long-term care home that provides services for members of the “aging and diverse multicultural population” who are unable to care for themselves.

In Toronto, an elderly widow decided it might be a good idea to get a roommate; so, she opened her doors to young strangers — mostly international students.

Transportation presents seniors and their caregivers with more than a few challenges

Alzheimer’s disease is a devastating, yet enigmatic illness that affects hundreds of thousands of Canadians and even more people worldwide. There is no cure, no way to halt its attack on the brain, and very little that can be done to predict who might acquire the disease and why.

A livestream will be available on the Health Summit website starting at 7 am CDT (local Winnipeg time) on Monday, August 20 so you can watch the sessions in real time!

As a student in the MD/Phd program at the University of British Columbia, where he is pursuing a medical degree and has completed his PhD in engineering, Edgcumbe has helped develop many new medical technologies: an augmented-reality display of ultrasound images to help surgeons better “see” patients’ organs, and the pico lantern, a device that maps and projects a patient’s tumor(s) and blood vessels – in 3D – onto their body during surgery.

On July 18, 2018, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau named Hamilton West MP Filomena Tassi as Canada’s new Minister of Seniors. The portfolio dedicated to seniors that Tassi is in charge of is a new, welcome addition to cabinet for long-time seniors’ advocates – including the CMA and Demand a Plan.

After a year in the Netherlands, working as “Innovation Sherpa in Chief” at the REShape Health Innovation Centre, Zayna Khayat returned to Canada in January with a fresh perspective on what that future could look like.

Imagine being trapped. Reliving your darkest moments, over and over. Being isolated. No one to talk to, to break the cycle of darkness. For most of us, it’s a terrifying thought. But for many of the hundreds of thousands of seniors living with dementia, this is the reality.

On July 24, CMA President Dr. Laurent Marcoux was in New York City to support the creation a new UN convention on the rights of older persons and to advocate for Canada to champion its adoption.

Silver Alert operates in a similar way to the AMBER Alert system for missing children but instead broadcasts alerts for missing adults who suffer from Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia.

The Canadian Frailty Network (CFN) is Canada’s leading network for seniors living with frailty. But the CFN takes great care to make it clear that frailty and age are not interchangeable terms, discussing how complex the issue is and how proactive efforts can help in caring for the frail population.

On Friday, June 8, the CMA took part in the 7th annual Age Well Solutions conference in Ottawa, along with 31 exhibitors.

LGBT seniors say going into residential care can feel like going back in the closet. What are ways to address concerns about being out and open in a residential care setting?

On June 4, 2018, the Quebec government released its second five-year action plan to support active aging in the province.

Our Demand a Plan campaign has officially hit the 60,000 supporter mark!

One of Quebec’s most successful and unique seniors’ community services organizations started life in 1973 as a neighbourhood initiative launched by a small group of academics and locals concerned with the quality of life of seniors in their area.

The CMA’s submission to the House of Commons’ Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities, Advancing Inclusion and Quality of Life for Seniors, outlines 15 recommendations for how seniors can remain active and engaged citizens of our communities.

With the tagline “independence, activity and good health,” the provincial plan promotes wellness and prevention to improve equity, access and quality of care for the elderly.

The new AGE-WELL National Innovation Hub will help ensure Canadians benefit from new and emerging technologies that can support independent living and improve quality of life of older adults and caregivers.

Whatever form it takes—spacious suburban bungalow or urban condo—our homes are more than roofs over our heads. We invest them with memories and emotions.

Volunteers play a key role in ensuring that the needs of older Canadians are met — from social interaction to fitness — and that seniors can remain active members of their communities.

Intergenerational programs can contribute to the well-being of individuals and communities… by facilitating mutually beneficial relationships; volunteering and community building; increasing social cohesion; integration and collaboration; and strengthening family relationships.

Whether they are funded by municipalities, agencies or totally on a fee-for-service basis, these seniors transportation organizations require volunteer drivers.

The rise of the patient navigator — sometimes also called nurse navigator or even health care concierge — addresses the need for guides, translators and advocates.

The Acute Care for Elders (ACE) strategy has made real improvements for patients over the age of 65, including shorter hospital stays, fewer readmissions to hospital, and greater chance of returning home rather than to an institution such as a long term care home.

"What I love about this program is the effort to bring together the nursing home, library staff and high school students to help improve life for the nursing home residents...It’s an example of what can be accomplished when there is a will to act.”

Ontario is launching consultations across the province to help develop a new dementia strategy, which will improve access to quality care for people living with dementia and boost support for those who care for them.

A hospice team in Moncton, New Brunswick, is providing compassionate care and helping people in the community have the best quality of life they can, in the time they have remaining.

Across Canada today, an estimated 800,000 Canadians live with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Of all chronic diseases, COPD is the number one reason for hospitalizations in Canada.

The CFHI released dramatic results from a bold pan-Canadian initiative reducing the inappropriate use of antipsychotic medication among seniors in long term care (LTC)

The Canadian Medical Association (CMA) is pleased that historic federal legislation on medical aid in dying is now in place.

The Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement announced the 18 organizations that will improve healthcare for older adults by adapting Mount Sinai Hospital’s (Toronto) proven Acute Care for Elders (ACE) Strategy in their healthcare facilities.

It’s far from typical for a rookie MP to be sworn in as Canada’s health minister. And it’s far from typical for a physician — and a Canadian Medical Association (CMA) member at that — to fill the job.

Home Share Newfoundland is a program that pairs Memorial University students with residents in the community who are 50 years of age and older.

Dr. Barry Clarke, a family physician in Nova Scotia, has made it his priority to ensure seniors across the province receive more coordinated, efficient care that ultimately frees up hospital beds and emergency rooms.

While Deep River is a small community, Rogers says resources are tight and demand is high given that 23 per cent of the population is aged 65 and older. They’re only funded to provide care for 30 patients, and while they’d like to include more, they lack the staff to do so.

Emergency rooms across Canada triage and treat a steady, sometimes ballooning, stream of patients on any given day.

With an ailing partner to care for, more than 600,000 aging Canadians are left becoming an advocate in what would be unprecedented circumstances for them and navigating a complicated health system

Hamilton, Ontario is backing its promise to become “age-friendly” with real action on the streets and sidewalks, in spaces indoors and out, at bus shelters and in pools.