PharmaCare Forum

Forum: Making Medicines Safer and More Affordable for Our Aging Population

Dr. Steve Morgan, UBC

Join the Quadra-Granville Seniors Group to participate in a Forum: “A Better Prescription: How Government Could Make Medicines Safer and more Affordable for our Aging Population.” We invite you to come and hear how provincial and federal governments could work strategically to make medicines safer and more affordable for all. Dr. Steven G. Morgan is a Professor of Health Policy at UBC in the School of Population and Public Health.

He is an expert in pharmaceutical policy. He has published hundreds of research papers and has served as an expert advisor to governments in Canada and overseas. His current focus is on designing policies to achieve “Triple A” outcomes: Access to medicines, Appropriate prescribing and Affordable prices. Join the discussion following Dr. Morgan’s presentation. Joyce Murray and Isobel Mackenzie will make brief statements addressing the issues.

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National Caregivers Day

Safely tucked into our subconscious

According to the Alzheimer’s Society of Canada calendar, April 4th was National Caregivers Day…and like most caregivers, I was too busy to pay it much attention! So today, I thought it fitting I post something to recognize caregivers after all the focus we had at SLC on preparing a report for government on the topic. I was reminded of a satirical article that appeared in an online publication called the Onion*. (yikes, I hope my kids can do better than tucking me away in their subconscious!) Continue reading →

Ode To A Schizophrenic Cactus

Schizophrenic Cactus celebrates Easter

With Easter celebrations soon upon us, I thought you might enjoy this poem sent to me by my friend Margaret…( you will remember Margaret from my first blog post – she endured considerable strife arising from a Representation Agreement signed by her husbands’ adult children that revoked her rights to care for her husband. Sadly, Bob passed away in a nursing home from Alzheimers). Continue reading →

Vancouver Policy Process Development Discussion

LPC New Policy Development Process

In 2016 the Liberal Party of Canada committed to finalizing a new Constitution and Bylaws. Of key importance is the bylaw pertaining to how EDAs and the Commissions will engage with our communities to gather information on issues of relevance that could influence policy and party platform. In Vancouver, Sunday, March 26, 5:30 – 7:30pm you can become informed on the new process and have input on how to make it work at the local level. This initiative is organized by four Vancouver EDAs and representatives from the BC Senior Liberals Commission. Doug, MacDonald, National and Provincial Policy Chair for the Senior Liberals Commission will speak to the proposed BCSLC plan to support the national guidelines.

http://event.liberal.ca/en/event/65549/policy-process-development-101-within-liberal-party-of-canada-bc

Liberalist Training

Rebooting Liberalist!

Liberalist, a software program for managing communications with registered Liberals has not always been described as “user intuitive!” Good news! Your frustrations may soon be over. This software program, available to all EDA’s and Commission members through their assigned Executive members, will soon be a breeze to use thanks to a series of training courses just announced by Michael Hack, Director Operations LPC BC. Continue reading →

Affordable Housing for Seniors

We received these comments from “Diane” …Thank you for your support regarding seniors. Please support seniors who receive rent subsidies and live in a housing co-operative. Others, like myself, are living with the daily fear of becoming homeless in March of 2018. I can not afford market rent in the area in which I live and I am disabled and unable to move. Thank You! Please help!

Nothing is more revealing about the character of a society than the way it respects its elders. For any elder to live in daily dread of being turned out of their homes and of becoming homeless on the streets is not “who we are as Canadians”. Diane’s comments come shortly after two other readers contacted us with concerns about Seniors housing. Maybe it is time to review the governments promises for Affordable Housing in the 2015 Platform. Do you have concerns about housing for Seniors? Let us hear from you! Remember…”better is always possible”.
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Update on Caucus Meeting

MP Randeep Sari, Surrey Centre

BC has a robust representation of talented MPs in the federal government to whom we had the privilege of presenting our In-Home SLC Policy Working Group recommendations on January 26th.

Despite being last on the agenda for the day, a time when one might think the members were on “over-load” and ready to head home, we had a very respectful, attentive and interactive audience, for which we were truly appreciative. Our topic was not unfamiliar to many of those present.

Chairperson, MP Randeep Sari, Surry Centre, kicked off the discussion part of our presentation by letting us know he is on the Immigration Committee and providing information on how the government is clearing the backlog of permanent residency applications filed by Caregivers; an achievement the government aims to complete by the end of 2017, after which time it is expected Caregiver applications will rise to previous levels of about 15,000 per year. Continue reading →

Is Ageism In Mortgage Approval Discrimination?

What happens if you outlive your house? Well, as Glen Frankland found out, the bank won’t make it easy for you to buy a new one if you are a senior! The following post was sent to us by Glen Frankland. Have you had a similar experience? Are you aware of others who have? Please leave your comments. Let us know if you are interested in further discussion on this issue.

My name is Glen Frankland. I have lived and still do live in Sorrento in the North Okanagan—Shuswap riding for 10 ½ years. I’ve been voting Liberal since Trudeaumania and I’m a member of the Laurier Club.

Consider a mortgage applicant with a $50,000 down payment, a guaranteed stable income for life, no debts, and a credit score of 840. You’d think such an applicant would be a cinch for a mortgage approval, wouldn’t you? Well. You’d be wrong – if the applicant were a senior citizen. The reason? Seniors are not the standard, conventional, predictable customer whose application form conforms to bank policy in every way. The only time mortgage lenders want to deal with seniors is over a reverse mortgage. Continue reading →

SLCBC Goes to Caucus!

Stephen Fuhr, MP, Kelowna-Lake Country

In Vancouver, Thursday, January 26th, SLCBC representatives will meet with the 17 members of the BC Federal Liberal Caucus for an information-sharing session on live-in care options for seniors; presented by President, Rabi Alam, National Policy Chair, Doug McDonald, and Senior Rep, Kelowna-Lake Country (K-LC), Judy Berg (Chair, In-Home Policy Working Group) at the invitation of K-LC MP Stephen Fuhr. Recommended by Senior Rep, Elaine Olson, Abbotsford, a working group was established to investigate 2014 policy changes to the In-Home Caregiver Program. Our presentation will introduce our issues in advance of presenting the report to Minister Hajdu, Employment, Workforce Development and Labour. Continue reading →