Health Services Committee Briefing Notes Sept. 19, 2024

The 2024-25 Heath Services Committee is currently composed of members from RTANL, PEIRTO, STS, RTAM, ARTA and RTO–NSTU.

Ageing in Place was confirmed as the focus for this year.

Two documents from the STS Outreach Magazine (Fall 2024) were recommended for committee reading.

Review of the 5 Core Concepts of an Ageing in Place policy as developed by the committee last year:

Access to medical care, in a timely manner, in the community.
Adequate home care supports to enable one to live safely and as independently as possible.
Social and Emotional support. This is necessary to allow seniors to lead vibrant, fulfilling lives.
Economic stability. Guaranteed income.
This is a necessity in rural areas. Transportation is necessary for all aspects of independent living such as transportation for grocery stores, doctor appointments, social activities.

This list will be further investigated at the next meeting to determine one topic per meeting.

Member observations:

Ageing in Place is expensive and, in many places, the necessary accommodations to age successfully in place do not exist.
Positive aspects of Ageing in Place need to be promoted.
There is a need to combat the internal concept of ageism that some seniors have internalized.
The PEI study will be forwarded to the committee.
Nova Scotia has removed some of the limits on retirees returning to work without being penalized.

McMaster Optimal Ageing Portal – found at https://www.mcmasteroptimalaging.org/ on the ACER-CART website

two Dementia objectives:
- Optimize the health and well-being of people living with dementia and family/friend caregivers
- Increase knowledge of dementia and risk and protective factors.

These objectives are tied directly into the HSC mission.

Observations following the report of an RTAM meeting with MLA’s:

In Manitoba retired teachers’ pensions are under the responsibility of the Department of Education rather than the Department of Finance.
Retired teachers’ pensions are much smaller than the general public and even politicians believe.
Letters to politicians are often answered by assistants; the best format to deal with politicians is through a face-to-face meeting.
Seniors’ issues are best discussed across governmental departments, as most issues are not the result of just one policy.
It is a must that we advocate for ourselves.
It is better when we can engage government officials as a group rather than individually. This gives seniors a better opportunity to have the people in the decision-making process see their plight as a holistic concern rather than just an issue for their particular department.

Provincial Updates:

Newfoundland and Labrador
- Mammograms and colonoscopies are being offered with an age requirement. Older persons are being discriminated against.
- High dose flu vaccines are being offered at no cost for those living in communal living settings.
- The vaccine available to the rest of the senior population is the flu vaccine plus. The Chief Medical Officer for Health in Newfoundland and Labrador has stated that both vaccines are equally effective.
Alberta
- Alberta continues towards the private care system. Currently there are about 40 clinics which charge a membership fee.
- Private clinics receive government money to perform medical procedures, especially those procedures which can be completed quickly and with little risk of complications. These procedures are very profitable. The more difficult operations are being left for the public domain.
- The proliferation of private clinics is contributing to the decline in the number of personnel in the public sector.
Manitoba:
- Many seniors are unable to afford the dental insurance premiums and are unable to access the government dental health plan because of their technical ability to have dental coverage under their existing private insurance – recognized as an ongoing problem across our country.) There are many instances where seniors are unable to afford dental insurance premiums.