Grey Bruce Boomers Fall 2021

HEALTH & WELLNESS
FUTURE
of health care
NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO REDUCE SERVICES
BY KYLIE PIKE
Though this won’t be news to you, the current state of
the world is like no other time in history.
Exposure to information is immediate and plentiful.
Generations young and old are accessing copious amounts
of information on a daily basis. The so-called facts and
figures we are exposed to, through various entertainment
avenues and social facets, can be overwhelming.
Yet we still seem to be in dire need of clarity and concise
information that is applicable to each of our situations.
Our lives tend to be a moving target when striving to
capture wants and needs with changing self-abilities, due
to overall health and well-being. Attempting to manage
perceptions that really are realities to everyone and trying
to manage priorities that may change and vary between
those caring for an individual can create an extremely
challenging situation.
Confusion, anxiety, and a sense of being overwhelmed
when trying to help oneself, a loved one and/or being the
caregiver for several people, is very common. Sometimes
these negative emotions can seem to be the only guarantee
for those in need of and/or providing home care when
everything else tends to be changing.
First, there’s the need for reflection. For generations,
Canadians have known, or should have known, about
the importance of helping thy neighbour as well as thy
family. The sad state of our health care system, regarding
the overall support and one-on-one personal care
provided in Long-Term Care, has been widely exposed
during the COVID-19 pandemic. Society, through media
and information released by our provincial and federal
governments, seems to have turned a blind eye to the
tragedies occurring in the home care sector, and yet the
cries for help are plentiful.
Should it have taken a pandemic to force us to look
closely at the travesties suffered by those in need of
personal care? Anyone who has experienced the stress
14 • GREYBRUCEBOOMERS.COM