Ottawa-area residents invited to join home care conversation on Saturday, April 16
TORONTO, April 14, 2011 /Canada NewsWire/ - Imagine breaking your leg as you try to care for your elderly mother who suffers from dementia; and your ailing father, who has osteoporosis, just took a bad fall. Who do you turn to?
When people can no longer care for elderly or disabled family members, many turn to government-funded home care, a free service for all Canadians. Unfortunately, due to challenges to the home care system, the care they need may not be the care they receive.
On Saturday, April 16, the Quality Care Alliance, a group of concerned citizens and community organizations, will host the Ottawa Home Care Public Forum to discuss the home care system's current challenges and possible solutions.
"We hear so many stories of inadequate care and neglect, it's really heartbreaking," said Shaila Kibria, Co-ordinator of the Quality Care Alliance. "Our forum is intended to provide home care givers, their clients and family members a place to come together and really tackle some of the issues, and discuss real solutions."
The forum is being held at the Jack Purcell Community Centre at 320 Jack Purcell Lane in Ottawa, and begins at 10 a.m. Members of the public are invited to this free discussion; lunch and snacks will be provided.
Currently, there are more than 10,000 elderly and disabled Ontarians waiting for home care. With 88% of Ontarians preferring to be cared for in the comfort of their own homes and the population aging, the waiting list is expected to steadily increase over the next few years.
For more information, visit www.ontariansforqualityhomecare.ca
About the Quality Care Alliance
The Quality Care Alliance (QCA) is a province-wide alliance of community, faith, senior and rights-based groups. We are committed to promoting dialogue and understanding between home care recipients, families, frontline caregivers, policymakers, and the wider community.
The demand for quality home care is on the rise as Ontario's aging population increases at a rapid pace. The QCA supports quality care for home care recipients, which include seniors and people with disabilities and long-term illnesses. We also support home care workers in establishing industry standards for wages, education and training, and stable employment.
