Happily Ever Older- Episode 24

Happily Ever Older

Moira Welsh’s new book Happily Ever Older: Revolutionary Approaches to Long-Term Care is a “call to action”. Moira sees the need to change the way we provide support to people who have complex needs, especially people with advanced dementia. Over almost 20 years as a reporter for the Toronto Star, Moira has documented the shortcomings of long-term care in Ontario. Her investigative journalism had won her many awards but has not secured the change she sees needed.

In this episode and in her book, Moira outlines a new strategy that offers us real-life examples of how long-term care can be different. These strategies include the Butterfly Effect, the Eden Alternative, Greenhouse Project, as well as introducing alternative care settings like de Hogewey, Carol Woods, and Sherbrooke Community Centre. More information on each of these options can be found on the internet.

“There is a real acceptance for change right now. Now is the time…” and Moira suggests that each of us needs to write our elected provincial and federal members asking for new standards for long-term care. She also suggests joining advocacy groups like CanAge www.canage.ca and also, if people are in a position to, asking LTC operators to adopt some of these new approaches.

You can win a copy of Happily Ever Older by writing dementia.dialogue@lakeheadu.ca.. Please put ‘Happily’ in the subject line.

Happily Ever After is published by ECW and can be purchased through your local bookseller or online.

You can find some of Moira’s articles by following these links. Others are posted on our resource page.

This article describes the Butterfly Effect being introduced in Peel Region.https://projects.thestar.com/dementia-program/

This article describes how Covid is being managed within a long-term care home.

https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2020/05/30/a-day-in-the-life-and-death-on-the-sheridan-villa-covid-unit.html

Moira examines the impact of COVID isolation on long-term care residents.

https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2020/06/28/what-pandemic-isolation-has-done-to-ltc-residents.html

This article recounts some of the underlying faults in long-term care that COVID has exposed.

https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2020/04/28/covid-19-has-exposed-what-long-term-care-lacks-will-the-response-fix-it.html