Evidence of meeting #113 for Indigenous and Northern Affairs in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was elders.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Deputy Grand Chief, Nishnawbe Aski Nation
It might be just the bigger communities that have the capacity to do. I know that capacity is another issue, as is land. I know that in Attawapiskat they can't build any more houses because there's no land. They're working with the federal government to get more land so that they can build more houses.
That's another issue when we talk about the social determinants of health care.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal MaryAnn Mihychuk
We'll end with our new member, a guest with us, MP Churence Rogers.
Liberal
Liberal
Liberal
The Chair Liberal MaryAnn Mihychuk
These folks are kind of prairie people, and you're from the Rock.
Liberal
Churence Rogers Liberal Bonavista—Burin—Trinity, NL
Indeed. I was about to say that I empathize with the people living in the north and rural areas. I come from a very large rural riding in Newfoundland and Labrador, and many of the challenges identified today are the challenges that people in my communities face.
There are many different models in play in Newfoundland and Labrador. One is a home care model where they have people hired to go in and live with some of these elders and seniors for long periods of time during the day and evening. That's been pretty successful. They have been able to keep people in their homes until the very extreme period when they have severe dementia or some other issue and have to be placed in long-term care in an institution.
Mr. Delorme, you mentioned some of the partnerships that need to be created as possible solutions for dealing with some of these seniors in our communities. The partnerships, I would assume, would include the federal government as well. What do you see as the role of the federal government in that partnership?
Cowessess First Nation
Of course, the purse and the wallet right away would be an automatic need. For example, at Cowessess First Nation we talk with our surrounding first nations of Sakimay, Kahkewistahaw, and Ochapowace. We respect our own jurisdiction, but we realize that we have to partner in certain services. This is one of them.
One thing we discussed is why we don't have one on the four reserves? We talked with some of the surrounding towns. The beds have waiting lists. We said, well, why we don't we build a 20-facility stage 3 and stage 4 seniors centre on Cowessess? We'll open it up to anybody. You don't have to be from the four reserves. You don't even have to be first nations. It will be on Cowessess First Nation and it will be indigenous-centric, something similar to what we have in Regina with First Nations University of Canada. Anybody in the world can go there for higher learning, but when you're at that university, it's indigenous-centric.
In terms of bringing in a stage 3 and stage 4 seniors facility, we talked with the province, saying that if the federal government could fund us with the capital to get this going, and we put in what we could, would the province come in and do the day-to-day administration costs? We wouldn't be able to handle that. Surrounding first nations, such as White Bear, I believe, have tried it. Standing Buffalo is doing it. We have realized that because of the unique jurisdiction, the province has to play a key role. Once it's completed, then we move forward.
Liberal
Churence Rogers Liberal Bonavista—Burin—Trinity, NL
Thank you very much. That makes a lot of sense to me.
I know that there are numerous examples from across the country in rural parts of Canada where they have tried different models in different jurisdictions and so on.
Mr. Cutfeet, Sioux Lookout First Nations Health Authority recently secured funding for a mobile indigenous interdisciplinary primary care team. Once implemented, how will this service support the long-term care needs in the communities you serve?
John Cutfeet
The health programs that are starting to be put together to take a more collaborative approach will feed into supporting clients or patients across the spectrum, including elders. One of the issues that we do have now, especially in physician care, is we are only allotted so many days. Sometimes elders are unable to see the doctor even if it's an emergency, because the doctor's schedule is full.
Hopefully with that primary care mobile group, they'll be part and parcel of that to assist with the elders' care as well as support the doctors who go into the communities.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal MaryAnn Mihychuk
We've run out time. We have about 30 seconds, if you feel compelled.
Liberal
Churence Rogers Liberal Bonavista—Burin—Trinity, NL
Okay, just for Lindsay, you offer both senior supportive living and self-contained apartments. What are the benefits of these models and how do you see the viability for that system on reserve?
Administrator, Heart River Housing
With the senior self-contained apartments they get into a lifestyle, a little bit of a communal living. There can be some supports with other seniors yet they can still have the independence to cook on their own and do what they need to do.
With the lodge settings, they have their room cleaning and their cooking done by us, but they still have that independence where they can come and go as they please.
With the health care that the province brings into our facilities at a level 2 care, it's basically scheduled care. Again, you get your pills on time and those kinds of things. For lots of the seniors who come to us, it is really a stabilizing opportunity. They've lived in their homes alone; they're lonely and they don't take their meds on time. Things snowball.. When they come to our facility, they're able to stabilize themselves and it really adds some years to them. The other thing is they get to visit with other people every day and still come and go.
Liberal
John Cutfeet
I think in the greater picture, one of the things we would like to see happen at the community level is we stop taking people out. As you are aware, in the history, children were taken out. Currently, under the child welfare system, children are still being taken out, and then the elders are being taken out. We would like to put a stop to that.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal MaryAnn Mihychuk
I know in Manitoba, there's like 60% to 70% of the people who have left the res. How many of those people want to come back home? Is it 50%?
