Evidence of meeting #70 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 hospice.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Associate Professor, Sprott School of Business, Carleton University, As an Individual
I see people around me. My mother lived on her own until age 91, and she died in her own house. It was her own choice. It was her own choice with hospice at home. I haven't had the chance to shout out to the hospice movement. I can't say enough good about them. We need to be funding them way more than we do. We should be hospice-centric, or at least community based-centric and not legacy monstrous hospital-centric. I just wanted to get that out, and I'm not anti-hospital.
I think we have excellent doctors, excellent nurses, and so forth. To answer your question, I'm not worried about the transportation issue either, because no one today has brought up autonomous technology. Google and some incredibly smart companies are pouring gargantuan amounts of money into autonomous technology. In 10 years from now, we won't be talking about that. I think that will not be an issue.
Now I want to come back to your issue, and I see this. I'm in an older neighbourhood of Ottawa, where everyone on the street is.... I'm probably one of the youngest people there. There are people in their 70's, 80's, even in their 90's, living on my street. I can see the issues they're facing. They want to stay in their home, absolutely, but there are some things they can't do anymore.
I said earlier in response to the question from the MP from Quebec that it's about the services to the person in the home. Most of our elders are not homeless. There may be elders who are homeless; I just haven't seen them. It's about trying to stay in the house and finding it more challenging because of steep stairs to the basement, where the washer and dryer are. What do you do in the wintertime with the snow in the laneway, or how do you walk down municipal streets when they're no longer removing the snow on the side streets, on the secondary streets? That is a problem in Ottawa.
Associate Professor, Sprott School of Business, Carleton University, As an Individual
These are the kinds of real, concrete issues facing seniors.
Conservative
Karen Vecchio Conservative Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON
I'm hearing that. We obviously have to look at some of our new horizons programs. We need to look at some of what used to be called RRAP programs. There need to be all of those things available. I absolutely agree with you.
Before I pass it on, Ian, I want to let you know that I was at a wedding this weekend where the best man was Gladys Simpson, who will be 101 years old very shortly, and she knew more than most of the people in the room. I thank you very much because you're absolutely right.
I'm going to pass my time on to Alice.
Conservative
Alice Wong Conservative Richmond Centre, BC
Thank you, Mr. Chair, and I thank my colleague for passing on her time. I'll go on with the whole theme of caring for the caregivers.
Mr. Miller, I would like to ask you for your thoughts about caring for the caregivers.
Senior Associate, Canadian Urban Institute
Obviously, it's not an area I know a lot about, but I would be hugely sympathetic to that. I've done some research in the U.K., where they had a program. I say “had” a program because they lost it with the change of government, but it was called “lifetime homes, lifetime neighbourhoods”.
What is brilliant about that is that it is truly comprehensive. It deals with the physical, with the social, and with the fiscal. It looks at the housing resource as an asset that has to be protected for the future, but it also deals with the social. They have an ongoing discussion in every large city with the older population to find out what's on their minds and to get advice from them on how they can pay attention to things like caregiving.
Conservative
Alice Wong Conservative Richmond Centre, BC
I would like to look at the other aspect right now in addition to caregiving. I'm looking at the reverse mortgage area.
I know financial abuse has been one of the major abuses. Is there any way you can shed light on that, Mr. Davidoff? What kind of advice would you give to seniors so they don't fall victim to scams or financial abuse?
Associate Professor, Sauder School of Business, University of British Columbia, As an Individual
First of all, I think one reason reverse mortgages have not been more popular is a blanket policy of slamming the door on salespeople with complicated financial products to offer. It is probably not a bad blanket policy in retirement, of course, because there are scams.
That said, the U.S. and South Korea are the two markets that have the greatest market penetration of a reverse mortgage product. To my knowledge, those are the two countries where government insurance is available for a product that is sort of blessed by the government. I think you ought to give serious consideration to a somewhat improved product design, again, with a non-growing balance. You might think about offering federal reverse mortgage insurance to investors, with a standardized product that has explicit government blessing and where conformity to origination standards is monitored by a government entity. You could put a lot more cash into the hands of working-class, older homeowners, which, of course, softens some of the demographic financial pressures that we've already addressed today.
Liberal
Liberal
Dan Ruimy Liberal Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, BC
Thank you very much. I'll be sharing my time with MP Vaughan.
Very quickly, Susan, I know that your capacity here is as a volunteer, but maybe you can just give me your thoughts. What's the average age of the folks in your home?
Client Volunteer, Langley Hospice Society
The average age, I would say, is probably 70.
Liberal
Dan Ruimy Liberal Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, BC
What's the ratio of volunteers to qualified professionals?
Client Volunteer, Langley Hospice Society
We have two full-time nurses, 24 hours per day, and our volunteers work a three-hour shift. We have four shifts per day of three hours each, from nine in the morning until nine at night, with one volunteer.
Liberal
Dan Ruimy Liberal Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, BC
There are two nurses and one volunteer. Thank you.
I'm going to move it on to Mr. Vaughan.
Liberal
Adam Vaughan Liberal Spadina—Fort York, ON
I would like to continue with Susan Westhaver around the hospice idea and the notion of training.
I assume it's not just training for family members, but training for people like yourself who would like to volunteer in these hospices and are trained to keep up the quality of care.
Client Volunteer, Langley Hospice Society
Yes. I can only speak to my experience, because I had no idea. You don't know something until you face it.
Liberal
Adam Vaughan Liberal Spadina—Fort York, ON
I went through the same experience with my mother, so I understand.
Client Volunteer, Langley Hospice Society
When I realized, a few years after Bob died, that I was ready to give back, it was just huge how that whole process, as well as the counselling that was still available, helped me after he died. As a volunteer, I recognize when people come in now that I can really help because I know what they're feeling on both sides. I've been there as a patient's wife and also as a volunteer.
