Filial Piety

In other cultures, care giving for the elderly is a natural occurrence.  In many Chinese families, parents move in with their children when their children get married. The parents help raise their children’s’ children, and, when the parents themselves need care, their children are prepared to care for their parents until the end of their life.  Many Asian countries and cultures, including the Philippines and Vietnam, also hold to these traditions.  Japan even has a national holiday called Respect for the Aged Day and in East Asian countries, like India and Pakistan, the eldest son WILL take care of and provide for his parents.

In African history, families stayed together, no matter how big they grew. Families of more than 50 people started their own villages, with the eldest grandfather and grandmother leading the rest. This is also found in many tribes of South America, Australia. In the North American First Nations people, the tribes to this day, hold the utmost respect for their elders and do what they can to care and provide for them.

However, in the westernized world our seniors have become invisible.  We herd our seniors into large, impersonal institutions where they are out of everyone's view.  It's almost like they no longer exist and sadly for some, even a simple visit is considered a chore or an inconvenience but their own family.  Now, let's add  the recent Alberta government budget cuts that adds injury to the insult of how we treat our elderly.

On March 7th when the provincial government delivered the new budget they allotted 2.1 billion dollars, over the next three years, to hospitals, family clinics and long-term care facilities.  2.1 billion dollars seems like a lot of money and most Albertans seem pleased.  Our population is growing and continues to grow and it will continue to do so over the next three years.  People still get sick and still need to see doctors and specialists and in all honesty, it seems like we are getting sicker.  The rates of cancer continue to rise as does heart disease and diabetes and they will continue to rise over the next three years.  Our population also continues to grow older and they will continue to do so over the next three years. More seniors will develop Alzheimer's and dementia and many, many, many more will require long-term care over the next three years.  Factor in inflation, cost of living and a few other economic factors then the 3% increase isn't an increase at all, it is actually a cut.

By the end of this week, a month after the budget was delivered, the cuts will be felt at the facility where my mother resides and the society that runs hers and five others in the province.  At the end of this week 53 full-time positions and 17 part-time positions have been eliminated from mom's home and the five others. This is just one society.  There are 192 long-term facilities across this province that care for our elderly and those facilities will be doing similar cuts.  Now, my math isn't that great but statistically it means that instead of a ratio of one health care worker for every eight patients, the new ratio will be one health care worker for every 13 patients.  With that ratio the word 'healthcare' is now an oxymoron.  Our seniors in extended care across this province need more care, not less.

I hope that those of you who read this blog realize that the care of our elderly is a societal responsibility.  There are only a few countries that get that concept and had adapted health care and seniors care accordingly.  In a post on the Facebook page attached to this blog I mentioned the city of Bruges in Belgium where they have adapted policies that everyone adheres to that keep seniors, and especially those with dementia, safe and provided for.  The video is called Dementia: Pioneering City of Bruges, look for it on line.  In the Scandinavian countries, the seniors are encouraged to remain at home as long as they can.  To allow this, doctors and nurses are on call 24 hours a day and do regular house calls to ensure the health and safety of their seniors and in some areas, even the dentists will do house calls.  In addition, health care workers will come to cook, clean, do personal hygiene and spend time with the seniors still at home.  They have adult day care centres, not just simple one day a week programs, rather entire adult day care centres with free transportation to and from the centre.   When the time comes that a Scandinavian senior needs extended care, the facilities are mainly built with wide open spaces in the back, that are secure, but allow residents to walk and get fresh air and enjoy nature.  Here's the kicker, most of the services are free and the extended health care facilities cost no more than 15% of the seniors pension.

Sweden, Denmark and Norway all seem like a senior's Utopia and as a caregiver to my mom, I wish we could move there.  That of course is an impossible dream.  But what I can do is ask the readers of this blog to do two things.  First, volunteer.  With all the cuts that are happening in Canada and other countries, volunteers are now needed more than ever.  A couple hours a week of your life can make so much difference to a facility struggling to keep activities going and it can make so much more of a difference in the life of a senior.  Without your grandparents and your parents, where would you be?  Well, you wouldn't be here, so we owe them and should respect them for gifting us with those lives.

Secondly, send some emails the premiere and the MLA's of your area.  Tell them that we need more funding for the care of our seniors, not less and that the candy-coated budget is bullshit.  Here are the names, addresses, phone numbers and emails of some of the MLA's in this region.

Dr. David Swann, MLA Calgary-Mountain View
calgary.mountainview@assembly.ab.ca
Constituency Office: 102, 723 - 14 Street NW, Calgary, AB T2N 2A4
403-216-5445 (Calgary constituency office) 780-427-2292 (Legislature office)

Rob Anderson, MLA Airdrie
airdrie@assembly.ab.ca
Constituency Office: 209 Bowers Street, Airdrie, AB T4B 0R6
403-948-8741 (Airdrie constituency office) 1-888-948-8741 (Toll-free) 780-415-0975 (Legislature office)

Ron Casey, MLA Banff-Cochrane
banff.cochrane@assembly.ab.ca
Constituency Office: 109, 1205 Bow Valley Trail, Canmore, AB T1W 1P5
403-609-4509 (Canmore Constituency office) 1-866-760-8281 (Constituency office, toll-free) 780-415-8429 (Legislature office)
CONSIDERING I USED TO BABYSIT HIS GIRLS HE'D BETTER DAMN WELL DO SOMETHING!!!

Hon. Cal Dallas, MLA, Red Deer-South
reddeer.south@assembly.ab.ca
Constituency Office: 503, 4901 - 48 Street, Red Deer, AB T4N 6M4
403-340-3565 (Red Deer constituency office) 780-643-6225 (Legislature office)

Hon. Teresa Woo-Paw MLA, Calgary-Northern Hills
calgary.northernhills@assembly.ab.ca
Constituency Office: 103, 200 Country Hills Landing NW, Calgary, AB T3K 5P3
403-274-1931 (Calgary constituency office) 780-415-2363 (Legislature office)

Kerry Towle, MLA, Innisfail-Sylvan Lake
innisfail.sylvanlake@assembly.ab.ca
Constituency Office: #18, 4804 - 42 Avenue, Innisfail, AB T4G 1T4
403-227-1500 (Innisfail constituency office) 1-888-655-2535 (Toll-free) 780-427-1865 (Legislature office)

Associate Minister of Seniors, Hon. George VanderBurg
whitecourt.steanne@assembly.ab.ca
227 Legislature Building 10800 97 Avenue, Edmonton, AB T5K 2B6
780-415-9550 (Legislature office)

Just for good measure any of the international readers of this blog could also make a difference by contacting our provincial leader, and please do so.  I want her to realize the gravity of the situation and the importance of the simple fact the dementia is not just forgetting where your keys are.  It's a terminal illness.

Premier of Alberta Hon. Alison Redford
calgary.elbow@assembly.ab.ca
307 Legislature Building 10800 97 Avenue, Edmonton, AB T5K 2B6
780-427-2251 (Legislature office)

Confucius, the famous Chinese philosopher, championed that our elders deserve our complete and total respect.  It's called filial piety and the wisdom in that is ancient.

One of the workers who is layed off, mom just loves her.