New petition sent to House of Commons to bring better healthcare for seniors
The COVID-19 pandemic has put a strain on the healthcare system in Canada, and some seniors feel that care for the elderly has gone downhill.
Bruce Cordick,78, knows all about Canada’s healthcare system, in ways he never intended.
"I've had broken ankles, broken arms, cancer in my eye," Cordick says. "I had breast cancer, stage two. Cancer in my spleen. Arthritis. Nerve problems in my back. Kidney stones. Diabetes. Bladder problems. Thyroid. I had a heart murmur. I'm sort of a walking nightmare."
He says in all his years dealing with healthcare, it has never taken so long to be treated than it does today.
"I've had a relatively positive experience with the healthcare system. It’s the wait times," Cordick says. "I had to go for two biopsies. Finally, I see a surgeon, it took about eight months and they removed half my thyroid."
Bruce’s wife Barbie has seen him struggle to get appointments. When he does, it’s sometimes on the other side of town. A difficult drive at this age.
"COVID brought out a lot of things that we are talking about right now, that should have been fixed a long time ago," Barbie says. "It seems to be falling through the cracks a little bit. And I think there's a lot of improvement that could be made to make it easier for our seniors."
Now, Ottawa senior Sam Bhargava has submitted a petition to the House of Commons calling for governments to create a National Brain and Mind Health Week on the first Monday of October.
"We are not valuing seniors," Bhargava says. "Unless we do something today, nothing will change. It’s like the eye of the storm. Everything is quiet, but it can just destabilize the whole system."
Bhargava wants medical experts, researchers and policy makers to have a yearly platform to come together to discuss what is, and isn’t working, when it comes to treating Canada’s aging population.
And one of Canada’s foremost experts in health is lending his support and his focus is on dementia.
Emeritus Neurologist and Professor at the University of Ottawa’s Brain and Mind Institute, Dr. Antoine Hakim, says dementia is preventable, and needs more attention from governments.
"You've got a problem that is mushrooming. And yet it is preventable," says Hakim. "It is estimated that taking care of dementia alone in the next 10 years is going to cost us more than the entire current healthcare budget."
According to Statistics Canada, over the next 25 years the population aged 85 and older could triple to 2.5 million people. Putting even more strain on the healthcare system.
"Our age is going very much higher," says Bhargava’s wife Uttra. "But our care is not going that high. That is the difference."
For the Cordicks, they are hoping to see changes made, not just for themselves, but also for all seniors in Canada.
"We don’t have two years, we’re almost 80 years of age," says Barbie. "And every year is precious to us."
Click here if you’d like to sign the petition to see better care for seniors in Canada.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Serial sexual offender linked to unsolved 1970s homicides of four Calgary girls, women
An investigation into unsolved historical homicides from the 1970s has linked the deaths of two girls and two young women in and around Calgary to a now-deceased serial offender.
Woman with liver failure rejected for a transplant after medical review highlights alcohol use
For nearly three months, Amanda Huska has been in an Ontario hospital, part of it on life support, because of severe liver failure. Her history of alcohol use is getting in the way of her only potential treatment: a liver transplant.
$500K-worth of elvers seized at Toronto airport
Fishery and border service officers seized more than 100 kilograms of unauthorized elvers at the Toronto Pearson International Airport on Wednesday.
Toronto eliminated from PWHL playoffs
Toronto has been eliminated from the PWHL playoffs.
Information commissioner faces $700K funding shortfall, says system is 'overwhelmed'
Canada's information commissioner says her office is facing a $700,000 funding shortfall that could impact its ability to investigate complaints about government transparency and accountability.
B.C. man 'attacked suddenly' by adult grizzly near Alberta boundary: RCMP
A B.C. man is recovering from multiple injuries after he was "attacked suddenly" by an adult grizzly bear near Elkford Thursday afternoon.
Backlash over NFL player Harrison Butker's commencement speech has reached a new level
The NFL is distancing itself from controversial comments by Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker during a recent commencement address.
Dabney Coleman, actor who specialized in curmudgeons, dies at 92
Dabney Coleman, the mustachioed character actor who specialized in smarmy villains like the chauvinist boss in '9 to 5' and the nasty TV director in 'Tootsie,' has died. He was 92.
Craig Berube named as next head coach of Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have named Craig Berube as their new head coach.