I want to thank you for the privilege of speaking to this committee and use this opportunity to provide insights into the roles of home and community care agencies, like the one I represent.
Etobicoke Services for Seniors, like so many other home and community care agencies, supports seniors, adults with disabilities and their caregivers.
I have learned, from both personal and professional experience, that what agencies like mine do is not well understood. Too often, it is only when families are in crisis that they seek our support. Had they been aware of our purpose and the kinds of programs and services we offer, so much human suffering and economic cost to our health and long-term care system could have been avoided.
For these reasons, I am asking this committee to support a public education campaign to raise the awareness of all Canadians about the home and community care sector, specifically what we do and why we do it. We are out there with the specific goal of helping seniors, adults with disabilities and their caregivers live as well as possible, for as long as possible and as independently as possible in their own homes and communities.
The many services we provide, such as adult day programs, transportation, overnight and in-home respite care, assisted living support, and health and wellness, are aimed at achieving three outcomes: to provide information and knowledge, to combat isolation and to build networks, connections and communities.
Many folks thrive through their golden years, but as time passes, each of us will experience losses. While this is no surprise in the abstract, the experience is far from academic. With age, the risk of economic insecurity, the risk of failing health, the declining physical and cognitive capacity, and above all, the risk of loneliness, all rise.
Home and community care agencies understand these risks and, in partnership with clients, implement programs to address them. The relationships we build with our clients often span decades, sometimes 30 years. They grow old with us. The first contact may be through fitness and wellness check-in calls, but by intentionally staying in touch with clients and their caregivers, we learn of their changing needs and circumstances. Do they need transportation to the barber or to a doctor appointment? Would they benefit from gathering socially for meals or recreational events? Could their personal health situation mean that they need in-home or 24-7 respite care or adult day programming?
Many Canadians simply do not know about the home and community care sector and that these kinds of services are what we provide. Because of this, when such supports are needed, they don't know who to turn to or how to access them. There is a real need to fill this knowledge gap, and a campaign to raise awareness about what home and community care agencies do and how to access them would help so many in three main ways.
Canadians need to know that we are there to provide information and knowledge. I suspect that many of you have or are now supporting aging relatives. When I experienced this with my own parents, I had no idea what they were going through. More troubling, I had no idea where to turn for help. The system was fragmented with, as the baseball saying goes, no one seemingly on first. I know that many people are now or have had this same experience.
For example, recently I received a call from a person with a long history of activism on behalf of seniors. She was anxious because her doctor advised her that she would be discharged almost immediately after an upcoming operation. While very capable, she lived alone, and she knew she would not be able to take care of herself after the surgery. I told her about our 24-7 caring centre, where she would have a private room, all her meals, assistance with showering and dressing and staff happy to sit down to enjoy a cup of tea or to simply chat. If this truly well-informed person did not know about this service, what are the chances that so many others with less connection because of language and other barriers would know that such help is available?
Many of you with seniors in your lives are in the same boat. You need to know where to get help for your loved ones. Just when you need it most, where do you start? People need to know that this kind of help is available before they face a crisis. Providing this information is a key role that home and community care providers play.
Second, we are there to combat the social isolation that so many seniors, adults with disabilities and their caregivers experience. At the best of times, aging can be very isolating. COVID raised this to a whole new level. One example of how our agency met this challenge was by launching a food security program. As soon as the pandemic was announced, all our group programs were suspended, and all the staff involved in these programs shifted to a new mode of operation. Every single one of our clients got calls every week. Again and again, we heard how difficult it was for folks to access food and essentials. In the first few weeks, conversations were short—“we're fine”—but over time, they got longer. Fear of taking public transit and their physical frailty prohibiting them from carrying heavy grocery bags any distance were among the barriers they faced.
As more closures occurred, the demand for rides in our vehicles declined. We had vehicles and staff available as never before, so we launched a grocery program, asking our clients and caregivers to call us with their lists. We placed their orders with a No Frills partner and packed the bags. Our staff picked up and delivered these groceries to their doorsteps. Today we have completed over 1,500 grocery deliveries.
Because we knew that food insecurity challenges extended well beyond our client base into the community at large, ESS teamed up with others to meet this need. Unprecedented inter-agency collaboration occurred. For example, through a partnership with Toronto Community Housing, we helped deliver prepared meals and food hampers.