2011 Spring Issue
Ontario Population Change: Near and Present Danger?
By Maria Kelebeev, PublisherWidespread concerns about demographic change, particularly population aging, prompted The Health Professional to delve into the subject of demographics in this issue. Like a tide’s ebb and flow, population change on its own need not worry us, but when a natural phenomenon we can’t control catches us by surprise, bad things can and do happen. As demographer David Foot reminds us, “Change can’t be avoided, but it can be prepared for and managed.”
A Contrarian Debunks a Myth
By Alan Cassels, CD, MPAFor two decades, politicians, think tanks and media commentators have warned Canadians that an impending “demographic tsunami” in the form of a large and growing cohort of Canadians over 65 will carve a path of destruction through Canada’s universal health care system. Problem is, it ain’t true.
Boom, Bust and Echocardiogram
By The Health ProfessionalThe Health Professional asked Dr. Foot to comment on the implications of demographic changes for rehabilitation professionals. Following is a summary of his insights.
Circle of Care
By The Health ProfessionalHealth care professionals and volunteers at the Day Centre for Seniors have provided more than 100 clients who have Alzheimer’s and related dementias with the supports and assistance they need to remain active and social while continuing to live in the community.
Cultural Wealth: Non-traditional Care Going Mainstream
By Daria PerevezentsevIt is crowded inside Dr. Adam Chen’s Markham AC99 acupuncture clinic. The waiting room is as diverse as the multicultural society that is Canada, with a wide spectrum of GTA residents all patiently waiting for Dr. Chen’s healing needles.
Demographics and the WSIB
By The Health ProfessionalThe Workplace Safety and Insurance Board has broad statutory mandates that encompass injury prevention, experience-rated assessments, claim adjudication, and administration and rehabilitation. If we were to quantify the total value of rehabilitation services provided in Ontario, a large proportion would be represented by occupational injuries.
Engage the Talent, Enhance the Care
By Karl Samuelson, MBAAny consideration of demographic change and the Canadian health system will inevitably point to our aging population. It is generally held that baby boomers (born between 1947 and 1966) will have a dramatic impact on the Canadian health system in the next five decades.
Giving Priority to Seniors’ Health Care and Rehabilitation Needs
By Deb Matthews, Minister of Health and Long-Term CareMaking sure that Ontario’s seniors have the supports they need to avoid lengthy stays in our hospitals is one of our government’s top priorities. We think it’s important to help seniors stay at home as long as possible because we know it’s where they want to be. That’s why, over the last seven years, we have increased support for community-based programs and launched brand new initiatives that are helping Ontario seniors continue to live independently.
Mark Lindsay, Fascia: Clinical Applications for Health and Human Performance
By Daniel Gallucci BSc. CSCS D.AcIn recent years fascia has jumped to the forefront of our attention in rehabilitative medicine. Existing anatomy textbooks fail to address the importance of this connective tissue, which is not helpful to practitioners trying to develop the skill set necessary to be effective when preventing disease or treating the human body
Pension Plans and Population Change
By John CrockerLike any deferred compensation arrangement, pension plans have their technical aspects, but we need not delve far into them to recognize their parallels with health care system capacity planning and funding. Those parallels include the challenge of quantifying the current and future obligations that must be fulfilled for a predefined population, and managing resources to ensure they are available when required.
