Muskoka Landing Long Term Care Facility is holding a special meeting tomorrow (March 10) at 2 p.m. to raise awareness on the issues long-term care facilities continue to face across the province.
“Nine out of 10 residents who are living in long-term care facilities across the province suffer from cognitive impairment as well as other cognitive special needs,” says Pamm Reain, Resident and Family Services Coordinator.
She adds that the number is alarming and staff will talk about the need for specialized dementia care and resources that are available to those living with the disease.
The meeting is open to the public and will aim to raise awareness on the need for more government funding and support that is needed for the Ontario Long Term Care Association’s 440 member homes – 70 per cent of Ontario’s 627 long-term care homes – which are funded and regulated by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.
Reain indicates a number of other issues will be address at tomorrow’s meeting including the fact that many long-term care facilities are operating with out-of-date infrastructure and are in dire need of being updated and modernized. Discussion will also focus on the importance of being able to access services where you live and adopting a more realistic approach and enhanced support for specialized resources.
“People are waiting longer to be admitted into long-term care homes and we’re hoping to raise awareness for the public to sign a petition to lobby the government that more funding is needed,” says Reain.
The meeting is being held in conjunction with the annual Better Seniors’ Care Campaign. According to the Better Seniors’ Care website, Ontario’s long-term care homes play a crucial role in the care and support for more than 100,000 senior Ontarians every year. Despite the fact that 20,000 Ontarians are currently on a waiting list to get into long-term care homes, no new beds are being added.
A petition calling on the government to support the Ontario Long Term Care Association’s Building Better Long Term Care pre-budget submission for more adequate funding for facilities across the province is available at www.betterseniorscare.ca
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Other long term care homes in the area have had meetings to discuss continous funding cuts each year which will leave these homes unable to operate dependent on government funding. So in 20 years time many homes will be shut down, staff layed off and patients expected to stay at home with a few crumbs of service provided until hospitalization or death. Private homes will have to charge top dollar to keep the heat on. Condo development in Muskoka is taking over Muskoka and thus enticing council with a future. Whether condos are on the lake or block a view should be the least of one’s focus. Where are the aged going to go if they can’t stay at home should be the focus for all residents. The provincial government is telling us now that they are broke and not to expect much from them within less than 20 years time. Shouldn’t we all be concerned.
I find it very interesting that Jarlette-owned Muskoka Landing Long Term Care Facility decided to hold a public hearing on health care just five days before Jarlette is scheduled to resubmit their development proposal to Council, a proposal that remains predominantly unchanged from the one submitted one month ago. This is nothing more than a thinly disguised attempt to win support for their proposal, no doubt a suggestion of their high priced public relations consultant.
How very Trump-like of this out of town developer, Jarlette, to attempt to deflect attention from their barely changed proposal and hopefully slip it by Huntsville Council in the guise of improved health care. They’ve definitely been taking lessons from The Donald.
In my opinion, Jarlette’s only concern is to improve their business model and to increase their profits by grossly expanding their facility, by ignoring the Huntsville Official plan requirements and by including market value non-health care lakeshore condos in their proposal.
By arrogantly resubmitting a proposal that does nothing to address are resident concerns and does nothing to alter the 15M height of the proposed structure other than to change roof styles and introduce the phrase, “apparent height” which apparently alters our perception and magically reduces building height to 12.5M.
What a load of developer double-talk. I sincerely hope Huntsville Council will see through this obfuscation and not allow themselves to be seduced by the developer. 15M is 15M folks no matter how you describe it or dress it up with different roof styles or magical concepts.
The sight lines driving down the highway behind the proposed development will still be obstructed by a 15M building if this proposal is allowed to proceed as presented. The lake views from the highway will still be destroyed. And the views from the surface of Fairy Lake will be a permanent monument to developer greed. But only if Huntsville Council allows the proposed development to proceed unchecked.
All thinking people, all citizens concerned with preserving the shore of Fairy Lake and all elected officials should consider what approval of this ill conceived development proposal will mean to future generations. This is a watershed moment, make no mistake, and if the developer succeeds they open the floodgates to further commercial development along the lakeshore. A precedent once established is almost impossible to reverse.
As a previous tourist to Huntsville and Fairy Lake my fervent hope is that Council will recognize that the developer is insulting not only Huntsville Council and the Town of Huntsville but also the dozens of area residents who have taken time and effort in their own way to try to preserve this jewel of Muskoka.
Sincerely
Michael Tindall