Thank you for the invitation to speak today.
I am the director of the Centre on Aging at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg. Our centre has existed since 1982 and is the focal point for research and knowledge mobilization on aging in Manitoba.
The first issue I would like to discuss is access to information and services specific to the pandemic. One example here includes the fact that most resources, information and booking systems, etc., have relied on web-based systems. Whether it was finding out about where testing locations were or when to get vaccinated, this information is typically provided as a website. In the short term, we need to ensure that access to information is available through the phone as well. Phone numbers need to be highly publicized, through COVID press conferences, for example. If you don't have access to the Internet, how do you find the phone numbers?
We applaud the federal government for providing funding to add a phone line to the Manitoba 211 services. This is a needed service in the short term.
In the long term, we need to find ways so that everyone has access to the Internet. This requires physical infrastructure. It also requires that everyone can afford the equipment and services, regardless of where they live and what their income is. Access to Internet is critical for long-term care as well. In many homes, Wi-Fi did not exist or was not sufficient, so including this in standards for long-term care would be important. Every resident room and common room in a long-term care home should have good Wi-Fi.
Another access issue that has been quite apparent is transportation. Age-friendly transportation and affordable resources are lacking in many locations, particularly intercommunity transportation. This has affected access to COVID testing and vaccinations. If aging in place is a goal for governments, then we have to ensure that communities are age friendly in terms of transportation.
One tragic story in Winnipeg occurred when a family had to pay for a stretcher service to bring their bed-bound father to a vaccination site. An age-friendly community would find ways to ensure that the environment can enable that person to live in a non-institutional setting and still receive services.
Another long-term care issue is related to quality of life. Clearly, there is not enough recreation staff in long-term care. These workers, primarily women, who are key to residents' quality of life, are often only able to find part-time and low-paid positions. We need to ensure that we think beyond the health care aspects of long-term care and provide much more in terms of social care, because these places are people's homes, not hospitals.
Overall, we need to ensure that all workers in long-term care receive the training they need, as well as the respect that they deserve through proper compensation for their vital roles. As we build back, we need to focus on the care economy and ensure that women from all backgrounds are not left behind.
The final issue I would like to introduce is the consequence of sedentariness during the pandemic. Many older people have moved very little for many months. This has implications for risk of falling, health and physical function. Post pandemic, we will need to ensure that programming and services will be available to respond. For example, we know that an individualized approach is critical for falls prevention. However, in Winnipeg, we have lost universal access to adult outpatient therapies because these services are not part of the Canada Health Act. This means there is reliance on private health insurance or paying out of pocket.
Similarly, access to therapy service is not sufficient within long-term care either and residents have experienced a dramatic reduction in their physical activity. Of course, we cannot forget about all of the individuals who will need to recover from COVID. We need targeted federal funds for appropriate therapies and physical activity programming to allow individuals to recover their physical health.
I would like to end by saying that the Government of Canada endorsed the global strategy and action plan on aging and health of the World Health Organization. The year 2020 saw the official launch of the Decade of Healthy Ageing by the WHO. Canada needs to ensure that, coming out of this pandemic, we are ensuring that older people are able to achieve good health in age-friendly environments that are free from ageism.
Thank you.