Evidence of meeting #69 for Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was need.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
Dan Ruimy Liberal Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, BC
Entrepreneur, right.
Do you see a demand for their services?
Associate Professor, Gerontology Department, Huntington and Laurentian Universities, As an Individual
Yes, there's a demand. Everybody says we need more people who have knowledge in gerontology, but then on the other hand, many people can't employ them because they're not registered. They're not regulated. It's very difficult for employers to see what a gerontologist or graduate of a program can do. It's not an accredited program so all programs are not the same. It depends on, really, where you're studying gerontology.
Liberal
Dan Ruimy Liberal Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, BC
I'm running out of time, but very quickly, with what you've experienced, having more people certified in this, how do you think that would help our system?
Associate Professor, Gerontology Department, Huntington and Laurentian Universities, As an Individual
There are two different things. One is we need to educate specialists, people who are, for instance, nurses, social workers, and so on, more on gerontology and geriatrics. That's one point. The other point is that we do need more specialists, gerontologists, who can provide services other than the ones offered by health care providers. They have the knowledge. They know about aging. We really need to look at how we can provide these programs.
Liberal
Associate Professor, Gerontology Department, Huntington and Laurentian Universities, As an Individual
Liberal
Associate Professor, Gerontology Department, Huntington and Laurentian Universities, As an Individual
Doctors don't collaborate. It's not the gerontologists' fault.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Bryan May
Okay.
Now, for five minutes, we'll go to MP Falk. Welcome to committee, sir.
Conservative
Ted Falk Conservative Provencher, MB
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I would like to start with Senator Pawis Tabobondung.
Simply as a point of curiosity, you said there's a difference between an elder, senior, and a nice old lady. Can you very briefly tell me what the difference is? I'm curious.
Senator, National Association of Friendship Centres
Well, I'm the nice old lady sitting here and telling you what I'd like to see in a program that's designed for seniors that's going to help me stay in my home. We're pretty vocal about those kinds of things. After a while we get to be a senior citizen and we're able to get our old age pension and a number of programs that are designed for us, and sometimes we'd like to be able to sit together in our communities and design our own...and establish what the priorities are and how to evaluate those.
An elder is when.... Well, it's the recognition and the respect that comes from the life you've lived, the experience you've had, and the ability to share that and mentor young people on those things that they're going to expect or see in their seven stages of life—
Senator, National Association of Friendship Centres
—that I should be able to share what end of life ceremonies are, end of life teachings, and have the responsibilities that all of us have to do and participate in.
Conservative
Conservative
Ted Falk Conservative Provencher, MB
I'd like to ask Ms. Sonnen a few questions.
You alluded in your comments to individuals...and I think you used the term “check out early”.
I'd like to follow up a little on that. With the physician-assisted suicide legislation that has been passed, I'm sure you see an impact with that legislation among the people you work with.
Can you tell me if there's any impact, or how it impacts the seniors that you or your organization work with?
Executive Director, Dying Healed
I think there is a risk of lack of confidence in the medical system, so they may not be as likely to reach out when they're in need. There's also the issue of suicide contagion, in terms of the quality of.... You know, we talk about assisted death being something that a person gives their consent to, and that there are safeguards around the consent, but the quality of that consent I think is jeopardized when there are issues of other people in the care home who may be committing suicide or having medical aid in dying. That kind of influence and culture within that care home then is affected.
I do see it affecting confidence levels. There is a certain amount of fear. Those put up barriers between seniors who need care and the people who should be providing it.
Conservative
Ted Falk Conservative Provencher, MB
If I can interpret what you said there, you're saying there is a degree of peer pressure in nursing homes and among the elderly with this program.
Executive Director, Dying Healed
Yes, absolutely.
I think medical aid in dying can affect the culture within a care home, for instance, so there are undue influences or pressure there that might even be unspoken. It does affect the quality—
Conservative
Ted Falk Conservative Provencher, MB
Another thing I'm curious about is that your organization is based on volunteerism.
Do you go out and recruit volunteers? Is there a pool that you can draw on? Where do your volunteers come from?
Executive Director, Dying Healed
We have a network of about 112 groups across Canada. These groups are very grassroots. They're on the ground. A program like this gets passed out from group to group to group.
The program itself is recruiting volunteers. That's the point of the program, to provide education and volunteer recruitment. It's trying to raise awareness of this issue, raise awareness that we have a lot more older adults who are needing care, and the importance of the issue and all that it entails, such as the knowledge of aging, as one of the panellists spoke about.
The program itself is actually recruiting, and the vehicle is our network of groups.
Liberal