elderly

Tuesday December 15, 2020

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday December 15, 2020

Seniors, long-term care workers should be first in line for COVID-19 vaccine, committee says

The independent committee charged with deciding who should be the first Canadians to be vaccinated against COVID-19 today released its final directive recommending that long-term care home residents and seniors over the age of 80 get priority access to shots.

May 27, 2020

The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) said the initial, limited quantity of vaccine doses should be reserved for people who are most at risk of contracting the virus and developing severe symptoms.

While the federal government is procuring the vaccines and consulting with bodies like NACI to help coordinate distribution based on need, it will be up to the individual provinces and territories to decide who gets vaccinated when.

Canada’s long-term care homes have been hit hard by the novel coronavirus, with thousands of deaths reported since the onset of this pandemic.

NACI said that since the elderly residents of long-term care and assisted living facilities, retirement homes and chronic care hospitals face “severe outcomes” and a much greater chance of dying from the disease, they should be at the top of the list for the initial batch of roughly six million doses that will be made available in Canada in the first three months of 2021.

April 1, 2020

Pfizer’s vaccine, which is expected to be the first product approved by regulators for use in Canada, requires two doses — so roughly three million people should be inoculated in this first stage of the rollout.

NACI said it’s not just the residents who should go first — it’s also recommending that provinces and territories prioritize the staff who work at these sites for early vaccination.

After long-term care home residents and staff are immunized, NACI said the next priority group should be all Canadians over the age of 80.

“All adults of advanced age should be prioritized for initial doses of authorized COVID-19 vaccines, beginning with adults 80 years of age and older, then decreasing the age limit in 5-year increments to age 70 years as supply becomes available,” the final directive reads.

June 9, 2020

After the 80-plus cohort is vaccinated, front line health care workers should be next in the queue, said NACI.

The committee said that doctors, nurses and other staff at hospitals should get their shots early to maintain staffing levels in the health care system.

“Immunizing health care workers and other workers functioning in a health care capacity (e.g. personal support workers) minimizes the disproportionate burden of those taking on additional risks to protect the public, thereby upholding the ethical principle of reciprocity,” the directive reads.

June 3, 2015

NACI also expressed concern about Indigenous adults living in communities “where infection can have disproportionate consequences, such as those living in remote or isolated areas.”

Because health care options are limited at the best of times in these remote areas,

Pandemic Times

Indigenous individuals can face an elevated risk of death and “societal disruption,” NACI said. For that reason, the committee said that some First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities should be in the first cohort to get vaccinated.

These four groups — long-term care residents and staff, the elderly, front line health care workers and some Indigenous adults — are expected to consume all of the six million doses to be delivered in the first three months of 2021.

“As a ballpark, these four groups of people, as things are rolled out, should be covered by the initial doses,” said Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer. (CBC News) 

 

January 6, 2011

I often get a chuckle out of Mr. Mackay’s cartoons, but not today and certainly not on the topic of older people. That a newly elected inexperienced politician has been appointed as Minister of State for Seniors is a major issue for another day.

My point today is that such a negative, stereotypical depiction and assumptions about older people is not funny, but rather a classic example of ageism. Ageism is a term first coined by the brilliant Robert N. Butler, in 1968, who correctly defined it as another form of bigotry. He died last year but wrote extensively on ageing to educate us that this is a stage of life we need to learn about, and celebrate not to disrespectfully malign.

Older people want to be accepted for what they are, as thriving, energetic, skilled, interesting, experienced people who still want to participate in society in whatever capacity they so choose..be it in paid or unpaid work or policy decision-makers; to contribute socially, politically, culturally, whatever, wherever, should they choose to do so.

The task ahead is to raise awareness and educate the public and insist that all policies regarding older people must include input from those affected; in other words, ‘nothing about us, without us’. Growing older is a normal stage of life as described in Dr. Butler’s studies. The question is, are our elected leaders, and our media outlets wise enough to accept this and do they have the vision to plan and prepare for our society’s future?

Respectfully,

Thelma McGillivray
Advisor on Ageing, International Council of Women
Burlington, On L7N 2G8

Thursday July 23, 2009

 

The other day every media outlet carried a list of a bunch of places vying for the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. It provided a nice diversion from the usual negative stuff happening in the world, but in particular filled a gaping hole that comes with the lack of news in the depths of the northern hemisphere’s summer.

So I thought I’d follow up the trivial fodder with my own. Old guys who dye their hair… it sure feels good to get that burning issue off my back.

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday July 23, 2009

The best of a wonder-full world

The world’s most impressive tides. The highest waterfall on Earth. The tallest mountain in Africa.

A group called the New 7 Wonders has come up with a contest in which people can vote for the “new seven wonders of nature.”

The choices can be made over the next year-and-a-half from a list of 28 finalists, including the Bay of Fundy in Canada, Angel Falls in Venezuela and Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.

The winning seven spots will be announced in 2011.

Many of the 28 finalists announced yesterday are traditional picks, such as the Grand Canyon, the Great Barrier Reef and the Amazon rainforest. But there are also a couple of lesser-known spots that might send folks scurrying for their atlases, including the Bu Tinah Shoals of the United Arab Emirates, the Mud Volcanoes of Azerbaijan and Lebanon’s Jeita Grotto.

Niagara Falls would be a no-brainer in many people’s eyes, but it didn’t make the cut because folks in the state of New York apparently didn’t want to spend any money to promote the cause. (One would have thought they could find money in President Obama’s bailout plan, but perhaps not).

Swiss adventurer Bernard Weber, who started the New 7 Wonders group, says he expects a billion people will vote online and over the telephone in months to come.

Folks around the world came up with an initial list of 261 natural landmarks. That was pared to 77 top vote-getters, and a panel of experts whittled that down to the 28 finalists, using criteria such as geographical balance (you can’t have Canada hogging everything), diversity and the importance to human life. (Source: Toronto Star)