Stressful wait times for long-term care, the provinces plan to fix it, and a new mobile dental care program. It's April 26, 2024, this is the week in elder care news.

Long wait times for long-term care making it difficult on families and seniors

Stories of excessive wait times for long-term care that can jeopardize the health of seniors, and put significant stress on families continue to be reported. Monica Sarabura shared the story of her 93 year-old mother, Theresa, waiting for long-term care. It's not just long wait times, but conflicting information about applying for care, and care options that have been frustrating for Monica and her family. So often the responsibility falls on family caregivers to be the primary source of care while waiting for a bed in long-term care for weeks, months or even years.

Find the full story on The Hamilton Spectator.

Ministry of long-term care fast-tracks construction of new homes

The Ministry of long-term care is trying to open up more beds to ease long wait times, and free up space in our hospitals. Stan Cho, the Minister of Long-Term Care, announced an additional $155-million in funding to fast track the construction of long-term care homes. Eligible projects will receive an additional construction subsidy of up to $35 per bed, per day for 25 years.

Learn more at insauga.com.

Toronto Public Health offers mobile dental care to 2,600 residents

Toronto Public Health delivers smiles with free mobile dental care to long-term care residents. Mayor Olivia Chow announced the mobile dental care program for the 2,600 residents of the 10 long-term care homes operated by the City of Toronto. We love seeing innovative solutions that help provide care to our seniors.

Read more HERE.

It's April 19, 2024. This is the week in elder care news.

Long-term care needs 13,200 additional nurses and 37,700 PSWs to meet care tatgets

Staff shortages are making it difficult for long-term care to meet care targets. According to a document obtained by The Canadian Press, there is a need for over 13,000 additional nurses and 37,000 PSWs in Ontario. The Provincial government set a goal of four hours of daily direct care for residents by 2025.

Learn more about this story on Global News.

A Toronto woman is suing a long-term care home for negligence

Trudy Crock is suing Isabel and Arthur Meighen Manor for negligence after her Mother, Joan Chapman, saw a drastic decline in her condition after moving in. Six months following the move a geriatric psychiatrist at Sunnybrook discovered some of Joan's medications were mistakenly stopped.

You can find this story on City News.

Kiknu is the first long-term care home in Nova Scotia built in a First Nations community

Mi’kmaw elders and seniors in Nova Scotia celebrate the opening of the Kiknu. Kiknu is the first long-term care home in the province to be built in a First Nations community. Mi’kmaw culture has been embedded into many aspects of the home, including the building’s turtle shape, which represents the Indigenous reference to Turtle Island, as North America is known.

In speaking to families and long-term care stakeholders, most agree quality of life is far superior for residents when they can transition to a home the feels and functions similarly to the home they were moving from. Culturally approporiate food, activities, and traditions are significant contributors to this.

Click here for the news release from Nova Scotia.

Today I attended the Ontario Society of Senior Citizens Organization (OSSCO) 55+ Lifestyle & Learning Expo. The expo was a grassroots, senior focused event with educational seminars – and a great way to learn about some of the products and services available to help anyone 55+. Oh, and it’s FREE to attend!

The next OSSCO Lifestyle & Learning Expo is September 12, 2024 at the Timothy Eaton Memorial Church. According to the OSSCO website, registration opens in August. If you are in the area it’s worth checking out – even if you don’t need any of the products or services on exhibition, it’s good to know what’s out there.

It's Friday April 12, 2024, and this is the week in elder care news.

Bill 7 continues to make headlines

The Canadian Press is reporting that Ontario Health Minister Sylvia Jones and Ontario Health are keeping silent regarding the amount of money that seven patients have been fined for not accepting transfers from a hospital to a long-term care home not of their choosing. The three opposition parties say the law should be repealed, but at a bare minimum the government should be up front about how its law is affecting patients and their families.

Read more about this story on CBC.

LaPointe-Fisher Nursing Home in Guelph is closing

LaPointe-Fisher Nursing Home in Guelph shocked residents and staff this week when they announced they will cease operations as of November 29, 2024. LaPointe-Fisher’s director of quality improvement said the closure is due to the age of the building and the investments needed to maintain its state of repair.

Staff and residents were told Wednesday April 10, 2024 of the move. Read more about this story on GuelphToday.

Canada's largest senior care conference

Together We Care, Canada's largest senior care conference, happened at the Toronto Congress Centre earlier this week. I spoke to the CEO of ORCA about her takeaway from the conference.

You can read about Daniel's experience at Together We Care on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Wednesday at Together We Care

The day started with an address from the Minister of Seniors & Accessibility, Raymond Cho. I think he said he's 87-years old, but you wouldn't guess it with his energy. He speech was similar to what I heard at the AgeWell conference last October, but it's good to see him at the conference.

Morning Session

During the morning session I attended Unlocking the Potential of Social Media and Storytelling in Senior Living to Attract Talent by Nathan Jones of Dash Media. I was interested in hearing what tactics and strategies Nathan shared. His big message was that there's a lot of value in your resident's stories. Nathan shared a number of examples of viral clips his company produced of seniors sharing a story.

Together We Care Trade Show

Lunch was again set up buffet style, with a number of stations scattered around the trade show. I found this to be one of the best times to network – sit down at a table where people are already eating and strike up a conversation.

After lunch I made it a point to walk the rest of the trade show floor.

FIRST ONSITE

At lunch I met Kristin Mccutcheon from FIRST ONSITE – they offer emergency mitigation, restoration, and reconstruction services. In 2014 there was a major fire at Fairview Lodge, a long-term care home where I volunteer, so I was interested in learning more about what FIRST ONSITE does.

Corporate Canine Therapy

Dogs at your booth on the trade show floor is a surefire way to draw a crowd at your booth. I spoke to Jessica from Corporate Canine Therapy about their senior programs.

Global DWS

If dogs are a great way to draw a crowd, free (great) coffee and tea, as well as robots are a great way keep that crowd coming back. Lee from Global DWS showed off Charlie, a greeter robot – 1 of 3 robots on display.

ConsidraCare

I met Tauseef, COO of ConsidraCare, at an elder care event in 2023. Tauseef has been really generous to me with his time and advice, and it's always great to see familiar faces at a conference. ConsidraCare offers home care, and at the conference they were talking to nurses and PSW's about how their platform can help them be their own boss and own a franchise.

Afternoon Session

I took part in a really informative session by Denise Bedard and Azar Varahra, Implementing Small HOME Model in Long-Term Care Homes: Bringing Residents Closer Together.. The session presented a model of long-term care that empowers residents to be more involved in decisions and activities related to their day-to-day left. The Small Home Model is homes for up to 12 residents who live in a home that functions more similarly to homes we live it. Residents are empowered to take more control over day-to-day tasks. There was a lot of interested discussion during the session and afterwards. We are a long way from adopting a model like this on a large scale, but it represents innovation we can work towards that can help imporve quality of life for long-term care residents.

Closing Remarks

The tone around the closing of Together We Care was optimistic. There were a lot of great workshops, informative discussions, and interesting innovation on the trade show floor.

Just after the close of the conference I got a minute with Cathy Hecimovich, ORCA CEO, where I asked her what her takeaway is from the 2024 Together We Care Conference.

Conclusion

I feel good about what I was able to accomplish at Together We Care. Admittidly, my expectations for the conference were likely a little too high. The AgeWell Age Tech conference I was at in October 2023 provided so many opportunities for connecting with key stakeholders in elder care. Together We Care is a much larger conference than the AgeWell Age Tech conference, but most participants didn't seem use the conference app to connect or schedule a 1-on-1.

I got to speak to A LOT of people about Elderado. I'm glad I wore a tshirt that encourage everyone to ask me about Edlerado, and documenting my time gave me a good reason to introduce myself, as well as extend my reach.

One thing I could have done better is add more people I connected with to LinkedIn. I'm usually on top of this, but not this time.

I'm glad I attended this years conference and I'll certainly keep the 2025 Together We Care conference on my radar.

Thanks for following along!

Daniel

This is my first year attending the Together We Care conference, and I decided I'm going to document it.

Why am I at Together We Care?

1. Network
2. Raise Awareness about Elderado
3. Learn more about the problems facing retirement & long-term care homes.

Tuesday at Together We Care

At the opening of the conference it was remarked that Together We Care is the biggest senior care conference in Canada. Together We Care is co-hosted by the Ontario Retirement Communities Association (ORCA) and the Ontario Long-Term Care Association (OLTCA). There's 1,800 people here today.

This conference began with the usual opening remarks by leaders of the host organizations, and then was followed up by an address by the Minister of Long-Term Care, Stan Cho. This was the first time I've seen Minister Cho speak live – he was a great story teller and seemed to turn the room after Premier Doug Ford's video remarks only got a luckwarm response. I managed to get a minute with Minister Cho before he had to depart. Minister Cho invited me to the Ministry office to demo Elderado. It's out there now, so Minister Cho, if you happen to read this, I'm going to follow-up with you until it happens!

Senior Living Occupancy Recovery Roadmap

During the morning session I was most interested in Jodi Flanagan's session, Senior Living Occupancy Recovery Roadmap. Jodi is the President of Senior Living Pro. Two of my takeaways from Jodi's session were:

• Vacancy value – what is the cost of an empty retirement home suite for an operator?
• Relationship based selling – building real trust and connections with perspective sellers.

Jodi does a lot of work helping retirement homes put their best foot forward for prospective residents, but I wanted to know from Jodi what she thinks someone who is looking at moving into a retirement home should look for during a tour. This is what she said:

Tradeshow

I really like how they set up lunch. There were buffet stations set up around the tradeshow floor, which encouraged attentees to meet in mingle – which was a big positive for me. Together We Care doesn't have as many natural opportunities to connect as the AgeCare Age Tech Conference did, so I need to create opportunities to network. I ate lunch with a lovely woman named Sam from Tender Care Living Center, who is in charge of culinary at her long-term care home. After lunch it was time to walk the tradeshow floor.

There are a lot of exhibits. I didn't count, but I heard there are over 200. I only got to explore half the floor today. There are lots of pharmacutical companies and staffing agencies, but I was looking for cool tech, or products that I think could be useful for caregivers.

Gerry

Gerry helps share information with families who have a loved one in long-term care. Currently family members have to rely on calling or visiting the long-term care home. Gerry automates this process by providing you access to information that care providers to your loved ones are inputting into their own system. Gerry co-founder, Kamran Kirmani, shared more about this.

ONESource Moving Solutions

Moving an aging loved one comes with all sorts of challenges your don't have to deal with during a typical move. Typically there will be a need to sell, store, or discard items. This can be a difficult process that needs a compassionate touch. Nicole Ridley from ONESource Moving Solutions shared their approach to helping a senior relocate.

Chef Jasper

Interested in a robot chef? Chef Jasper is a robot that can prepare up to 9 different meals per hour. Chef Jasper Engineer, Milad Asgari, shared more information about their robot cook.

Smpl Technology

Technology can be complicated. Smpl Technology aims to simplify that. Easy-to-use phones, one touch radios, and more. Smpl COO, Gary Rotman, shares details about their aging at home electronics.

wissner-bosserhoff

The wissner-bosserhoff booth was getting a lot of action. I stopped by to hear from Christopher Loy about their Sentida bed.

Afternoon sessions

In the afternoon I had a more relaxed schedule. PointClickCare is a name I hear a lot, so I decided to attend their session where they outlined their updates for 2024. After that I attended a Newtorking Bootcamp put on by Sheri Tomchick, Founder of Plan A Long Term Care Staffing & Recruitment, and StaffStat. It's the first time I've attended a networking 'bootcamp' at a conference, and Sheri shared a number of nuggets that were good reminders. If you've ever read Dale Carnegie's book, How to Win Friends and Influence People, it was almost a coles note version.

Day 1 Verdict

I had a good day 1. The custom t-shirt was a good investment. I had 8 people come up to me because of it. I was really happy I was able to connect with the Minister of Long-Term Care, Stan Cho. Also, it was great to meet so many new people, and learn about some of the challenges facing elder care. I've heard tonight's dinner is the best opportunity all conference to network, but you know what they say – what happen's at the Together We Care 'Margarittaville' dinner stays at the TWC Margarittaville dinner!

Today, April 2, is National Caregivers Day. It's a day to honour all caregivers – a job that can feel lonely, and be thankless at times, but it can also be the best job in the world. I didn't know what a caregiver was when I first started – I thought I was just helping out my Grandparents and my Mom. But with time I've been able to see the crucial role caregivers play.

What is a caregiver?

The Ontario Caregiver Organization defines a caregiver as ordinary people who provide physical and emotional support to a family member, partner, friend, or neighbour.

Why should young people be caregivers?

When we think about caregivers to seniors, most of us think of adult children taking care of their aging parents. Today, I want to make the case to younger people why they should be caregivers to their Grandparents. Here's 5 reasons Grandchildren should be caregivers.

1. The stories.

I'm telling you, the stories you will hear are incredible. It can be hard to think of grandparents as their younger selves, but they were your age at one point. You may hear stories that make you laugh and cry, be inspired and in awe – you might even hear some stories your parents have never been told. Just the stories alone are worth it.

2. Life lessons.

Your Grandparents have lived through times we can hardly imagine. The world has changed a lot in the 20th and 21st century, and it will continue to change. Your Grandparents have lived through it, and they have incredible perspective. Sure, they might not be on Tik Tok, but you will learn a lot by listening to what they have to say.

3. Moments.

You will create so many snapshots in time that you will cherish. When I reminisce about my Grandparents, the big events and celebrations are great, but it's the spontaneous moments that make me smile. It could be something that happened at lunch, an inside joke you shared, really anything. You can't predict when you will create these moments, but if you keep showing up, they will happen.

4. Family history.

Maybe you don't really care about your family history today, but I bet one day you will. When your Grandparents are gone, parts of your family history will be harder to piece together. Take the opportunity to learn about where your Grandparents grew up, what their parents were like, and what traditions they had.

5. It feels good.

Whether you are helping with daily tasks, or chatting over a cup of coffee, you have the power to make your Grandparents day. Even if they can't show it, making time to be there matters, and it feels pretty damn good to be able to brighten up someone's day.

You don't have to be a nurse or have any medical training to be a caregiver, you just have to be present. Some days will be hard, and at times life will get in the way, but I'm telling you that you wont regret the time you spend together.

The Learn and Earn Accelerated Program is training 90 French-speaking long-term care staff to become personal support workers

The Learn and Earn Accelerated Program is training 90 French-speaking long-term care staff to become personal support workers (PSWs). $2.5 million will be spent on this program to address the labour shortage in the field and to provide an all-encompassing education of online coursework and paid clinicals to allow participants to complete the course without leaving their communities. When care providers can speak the mother tongue of residents it improves their quality of life and independence.

To find care in a language besides English, use Elderado to filter care options by 22 languages best suited to your needs.

Read more about this story on BayToday.ca.

Chartwell Heritage Glen Retirement Residence in Mississauga is closing, leaving 200 seniors looking for a new home

Chartwell Heritage Glen Retirement Residence in Mississauga is closing, leaving 200 seniors looking for a new home. Chartwell claims that due to its aging infrastructure, the residence is unstainable preventing it from operating. Therefore, Chartwell has compensated residents with three months’ rent and will be covering the cost of all relocation within a 50 km radius to help with the transition process. Residents are left devastated and stressed as they face challenges looking for another care home including location, affordability, eligibility, and wait times. This news follows the closing of Cedarvale Terrace long-term care in Toronto, and fears that as many as 7 other long-term care homes in Toronto could shut their doors by the end of 2025.

Read more about this story on CBC.ca.

Ontario Hospitals and Long-term care homes spent almost $1-billion on staffing agencies for nurses and personal support workers last year

In 2023, Ontario Hospitals and Long-term care homes spent almost $1 billion on staffing agencies for nurses and personal support workers. Due to staff shortages, hospitals and long-term care homes have relied on staffing agencies to fill shifts with temporary employees and nurses. Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner said Ontario's growing reliance on staffing agencies means more tax dollars are ending up in the hands of agencies that are allowed to charge whatever they want. Despite Health Minister Sylvia Jones claiming that the usage of agencies has reduced in the province, the results continue to display a rise in usage and costs as Ontario’s Healthcare continues to face challenges of labour shortage.

Read more on CP24.com.

Lancaster Care Home Unveils New Bright Mural

In a positive and bright display of art, The Lancaster Long Term Care Residence unveils a newly hand-painted floral mural across the 200 wing of the facility. Artists Sara Leger and Erynn Doherty express the joys of painting the mural and the sense of community it fosters. Residents quickly fell in love with this newly painted space and claimed that, “The bright colours and flowers make me feel at home.”

Find this story on Cornwall Seaway News.

Family struggles to move mother across country to B.C. care home

In Kelowna, B.C., residents Darla Brown and Nikki Drinkwalter face challenges moving their mother from a subsidized care home in Crapaud, P.E.I., to a care home in British Columbia due to the province’s residency requirements. Brown and Drinkwalter’s 71-year-old mother who is blind, partially paralyzed, and depressed, is experiencing declining health. They want to move their mother closer to family but struggle to apply on the waitlists of B.C. care homes due to the province’s three-month residency requirement. The daughters expressed that over their two-year application process, Interior Health declined their application to waive the requirement and left them with the alternative of moving their mother to B.C. and paying for private care until her application gets approved which can be long and costly.

Find this story on CBC.ca.

Are you looking for long-term care for a senior of Chinese heritage? When we are looking for a long-term care home for loved ones, we want to find a home that will make the experience as comfortable and familiar. Choosing a long-term care home that offers care in Cantonese or Mandarin, or holds a Chinese Cultural Designation, can offer many benefits that can help your loved one feel at home.

Why pick a Chinese culturally designated home that supports your loved one’s culture?

Dementia

Food

People with Alzheimer’s and dementia may develop a poor appetite. The Alzheimer’s Association says this may be due to food being unfamiliar. By selecting a home that serves Chinese cuisine, you’ll help your loved one get access to foods they know and reduce chances of them developing a poor appetite.
Senior administrator Stella Leung from Mon Sheong Long Term Care Centre said in a CBC news article that seniors will be more likely to eat foods they are familiar with which will improve their nutrition and health.

Language

Language barriers are difficult, and even more so with dementia. Seniors with dementia often forget second and third languages they learned later in life like English and fall back on their mother tongue. Picking a long-term care home that can speak your loved one’s Chinese dialect will help communicate so they can remain independent longer. Staff that can speak your loved one’s language allows seniors to communicate their needs properly and they can feel as comfortable as possible. Family members of those living in a culturally designated long-term care home feel that their loved ones are doing better off there than they would be if they lived in non-culturally designated long-term care homes.

General comfort

Placing your loved one in a Chinese long-term care home can also help them avoid issues like isolation, culture shock, and discrimination.

Unfortunately, there is also a price to pay for this. Chinese long-term care homes can often have longer than usual wait times with more people on the waitlists.

What do long term care homes with cultural designations offer?

Cultural Food Options

Long-term care homes that serve Chinese residents may have special menus or food options to cater to them. Homes may offer Chinese vegetables like bok choy(白菜) and dishes such as congee (稀饭), char siu/chāshāo (叉烧), and cheung fun/ chángfěn/ rice noodle roll (肠粉).

Cultural activities

It’s also nice to have your loved one have access to entertainment options catered towards Chinese culture that they will enjoy. Some of the activities may include:

• Calligraphy
• Chinese Opera
• Mahjong (麻将)
• Chinese Church Services

Chinese long-term care homes will also celebrate Chinese culture holidays like Chinese New Year. Holidays are a great opportunity to join your loved ones in their new home and build new traditions.

Language

Mandarin and Cantonese are the two most common Chinese dialects in long-term care in the Greater Toronto Area. Homes may or may not offer support for other dialects. We recommend that you phone potential home choices ahead of applying to see if they have staff that speak that dialect.

Chinese long-term care (nursing homes) in Toronto

Mon Sheong Home for the Aged (孟嘗安老院)

Located at 36 D’Arcy Street in Kensington-Chinatown, just south of the University of Toronto, Mon Sheong Home for the Aged is a non-profit nursing home that caters towards Chinese residents. All signs in the home are bilingual (Chinese-English) and Mon Sheong Home for the Aged has a built-in barber shop and physiotherapy room. The dialects offered at this home are Mandarin and Cantonese and Mon Sheong Home for the Aged offers memory care and has a dementia unit. Mon Sheong also offers a home in Scarborough at 2030 McNicoll Avenue.

Yee Hong (頤康) Long-term care centres

Yee Hong has 4 locations – 2 in Scarborough, 1 in Mississauga, and 1 in Markham. Yee Hong Long-term care centres are non-profit homes, and they cater to Chinese residents.
The Yee Hong Long-term care centres are:

• Yee Hong Centre – Markham
• Yee Hong Centre – Mississauga
• Yee Hong Centre – Scarborough McNicoll
• Yee Hong Centre – Scarborough Finch

Yee Hong homes offer Chinese food menus & activities, as well as support in Cantonese and Mandarin, and they celebrate Chinese holidays.

Tendercare Living Centre

Located near the intersection of McNicoll Avenue and Victoria Park Avenue, Tendercare Living Centre is a for-profit long-term care home. Tendercare Living Centre allows its residents to order dishes through tablets and offers Chinese vegetables during meals such as Gai Lan/ jièlán (芥兰), Yóucài/Choy Sum (油菜/菜心) and Bok Choy (白菜). Other dishes include Bāozi/buns (包子), congee (稀饭), char siu/chāshāo (叉烧), mapo tofu (麻婆豆腐). White rice is offered at every lunch and dinner session.

Relevant activities include Mahjong, Buddhist services, Kung fu films, and Chinese church services.
Languages offered here include Mandarin and Cantonese.

The Heritage Nursing Home

Not far from the lake, the Heritage Nursing Homeis a for-profit nursing home in Leslieville that offers a range of Chinese activities such as Mahjong, bingo in Chinese, and Cantonese opera as well as services from two Chinese churches. In addition, Heritage Nursing Home provides a menu specifically designed for Chinese residents. The languages offered here are Cantonese and Mandarin.

For more details check out The Heritage Nursing Home's page on Elderado.

Conclusion

Finding a home that looks and feels like the home a resident is moving from helps them to transition to their new surroundings. You can use Elderado to filter retirement homes and long-term care in Ontario by 22 languages and 21 cultural designations. It is important to note that not all staff in a home will be able to speak the language, but they will do their best match residents who are most comfortable speaking a language besides English with a care provider that can speak their language.

Elderado is looking for a Social Media Marketing Intern to manage the Elderado social media accounts on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn.

We are looking for someone who is excited about the opportunity and responsibility associated with working at a startup. As a startup, you will be asked to wear many hats, take initiative, and work independently. We are looking for someone who can take ownership over our social media accounts for the summer. You need to be comfortable planning content, and then also getting in-front of the camera (likely your cell phone) to produce that conten – we need someone who is creative and resourceful.

Responsibilities include:

• Researching opportunities
• Pitching ideas
• Planning the social media posting schedule
• Producing content (images, video, blogs, captions, hashtags)
• Engaging with comments on owned accounts, and other accounts
• Analyzing results
• Reporting on progress and results to the rest of the team

You don't need to be a professional videographer, but understanding how to use CapCut, VN, or other video editing software/apps will be important for success. Additionally, an understanding of how to use Canva, Unfold, or other simple photo editing platforms/apps is important. If you don't know how to use any of these Apps but are interested in the role, it will not take you long to download the free version and learn the basics.

Experience managing a social media account is an asset, but not a requirement for this role. Also, experience in the elder care industry is an asset, but not a requirement for this role.

Who Should Apply

This is a great role for someone in College or University, or a recent graduate, but if that's not you and you think you will be a great fit, reach out.

How to Apply

Applications can be sent to Daniel – daniel@elderado.ca. Send a resume and a video that is 1-minute long or less that tells us about who you are, and why you would be a good fit for this role. Only applications including a resume and video will be considered.

Application Deadline

Applications will be considered on an on-going basis with the first interviews scheduled on or after April 11, 2024.

Start Date

Early May.