Blog

Details: Published: 11 June 2020

Dear Minister Schulte:

Re: Calling for Action to protect Canadian Seniors

I am writing on behalf of the Canadian Bar Association’s Elder Law Section (the CBA Section) to urge federal government action to address the current crisis faced by people living in group care facilities, and in particular, vulnerable older Canadians. The CBA is a national organization representing lawyers, law students, notaries and academics with a mandate that includes seeking improvements in the law and the administration of justice. The CBA Section represents lawyers across Canada who deal with laws affecting seniors. It promotes professionalism in the field and provides a forum to discuss legal matters affecting older adults.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought to light the extent to which many of Canada’s current group care facilities rely on personal support workers and the unpaid support of family members to operate successfully. Canadians have seen that without these resources, the most essential needs of residents are not met, leaving many malnourished, dehydrated and without even the most basic personal hygiene care. The recent report from Canada’s military personnel, based on first-hand observations in five group care facilities for older adults, has been described by the Prime Minister and the Premier of Ontario as “deeply disturbing”, “gut wrenching” and “disgusting”.

Details: Published: 08 June 2020

Canada
2020

We encourage you to follow and support these organizations for more information (among others):

Black Health Alliance - Website: http://blackhealthalliance.ca/ - On Twitter: @BlackHealthCan - On Facebook: @BlackHealthAlliance

Federation of Black Canadians - website: https://fbcfcn.ca/ - On Twitter: @fbcfcn - On Facebook: @federationblackcanadians

Native Women's Association of Canada - Website: www.nwac.ca - On Twitter: @Nwac_ca - On Facebook: @nwac.afac

National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation - Website: http://www.trc.ca/ - On Twitter: @NCTR_UM - On Facebook: @nctr.ca

Details: Published: 19 May 2020

Guest post by Silvia Fraga Dominguez

People in many countries, including Canada, are currently experiencing increased social distancing to diminish the rate of COVID-19 infections. These measures affect every age group. But because older adults are at a higher risk from the virus, they may be staying at home more to protect themselves. As a result, older adults are not only more socially isolated than usual but potentially more so than people who are less vulnerable to COVID-19.

JUNE 1, 2020 UPDATE:
See the first virtual intergenerational quilt

Each year on June 1, we promote Intergenerational Day -
a celebration of the mutual benefits of building relationships across generations.

2020 marks the 10th Anniversary of Intergenerational Day in Canada.

Now more than ever, we need ways to connect. We need to celebrate. Just because we can’t be together, doesn’t mean we can't be connected.

Calling Canadians of all generations - Please help us build a virtual national quilt!

Using your creativity, please answer the question "what do intergenerational friendships mean to you?"
Send us an email and attach a picture of your drawing, sculptures, photos, inspirational notes etc. (high resolution, in jpeg or png format) to: by Sunday, May 24th

Submissions will be compiled into a beautiful national quilt that illustrates that we are a diverse and unified country that is stronger together. The IG Day Quilt will be showcased online and celebrated across Canada on Intergenerational Day, Monday, June 1st 2020.

Thank you so much for being a part of this collaboration!

Note for participants:

If you want to include your name, please only show your first name to protect your privacy.
If you are under 18 years old, please have a parent/guardian write a note (see below), giving permission for you to submit. Take a picture of the note, and send it along with your art:

By entering my submission, I hereby give full consent to use the photo(s), drawing(s) and/or all artwork (I) submit for the Intergenerational Day Canada Quilt to be displayed virtually and/or printed and displayed. I verify that this is my property to offer.

This is a joint national effort with LINKages (Alberta), Toronto Intergenerational Partnerships, iGEN Ottawa, and i2i Intergenerational Society Canada.