Hearing issues are an ongoing
challenge for seniors. In severe cases, if a senior denies they have issues or
refuses to wear hearing aids, people may think that they have cognitive issues
when indeed its only that they didn’t hear a question or statement properly
that might lead to an incorrect response. If you or someone you know is
struggling with hearing impairment consider other options to assist if hearing
aids are not a desired solution. Besides traditional hearing aids, there are
many different types of devices that can help a person with hearing impairment stay
connected to their world and maintain their independence. Contact your local
Hearing Society to ask about amplifiers, special visual or vibrating alarms for
doors, and tips for communication. Consider showing them how to text message on
a cell phone, or find out about TTY phone lines or Relay services for the
hearing impaired.
Thursday, 19 December 2013
Tuesday, 17 December 2013
How do I know if a place is good?
If you or someone you care about is moving to a retirement
or long-term care home, consider the following tip. The most important factor
in determining quality of care in any residence or care situation is that of
the staff. You can determine this easily if you take the time to watch and
listen during your visits. Watch other residents when you visit; get to know
them, their families/regular visitors and talk to them. Developing relationships
with both staff and residents in the home is important and will ensure that if
there are issues, you are notified of them. Focus on the food quality, cleanliness
and staff attitude. Join a Family Council if there is one or encourage your
loved one to join a Residents’ Council if they are able to participate. If you
have the time, join in activities in the residence. This is a way to help your
loved on adjust while creating opportunities for you to get to know other
residents and staff by observing and interacting.
Friday, 13 December 2013
More on Downsizing Tips....
Yet another downsizing suggestion which we absolutely love!
Even though we found it a long time ago, we like sharing it with people (still)
since it can apply to just about everyone. And you don’t have to be moving or
downsizing to try it. When you are looking to pare down your clothes closet a
bit do the following: “Reverse Coat Hanger Trick: We wear 20 percent of our
clothes 80 percent of the time. Turn all coat hangers in your closet back to
front. In the next six months, when you wear something, put it back in your
closet the correct way. At the end of six months, you'll see what you've worn
and what you haven't. Give away what you haven't worn.” Seems like such a simple idea but I've never read or heard about it anywhere else but in this one article quoted below.
Quoted from:
“Culling Your “Stuff” Can Be Painful Task” by Ellie Kahn, November 3, 2005, The
Jewish Journal
www.jewishjournal.com/lifecycles/article/culling_your_stuff_can_be_painful_task_20051104/Monday, 9 December 2013
What is the RHRA?
In follow up to our last post
about the new Retirement Homes Regulatory Authority (RHRA), we thought we
should tell you a bit about them…. So the first thing you should know is that
they are not a government agency. They are an independent, not-for-profit
corporation set up by the government through something called a ‘Memorandum of
Understanding’ and through this there is accountability to the government.
There is a Board of Directors consisting of 9 members and a Stakeholders
Advisory Council. The RHRA administers the Retirement
Homes Act, 2010 and has as its objectives, licensing homes, inspecting
homes, keeping a public register of information on homes and
informing/educating both the public and the retirement homes in Ontario. In the
first couple of years the province did contribute funds to get the Authority
off the ground but moving forward, the RHRA will sustain itself through fees
provided by the homes.
The Fundamental Principle of the
RHRA is “that a retirement home is to be operated so that it is a place where
residents live with dignity, respect, privacy and autonomy, in security, safety
and comfort and can make informed choices about their care options” (from: RHRA
Plain-Language Guide, page 4 ). There is also a clear definition of what a
retirement home is for the purposes of homes applying for licenses and
following regulations. In order to be considered a retirement home under the
governing legislation most residents must be 65 or more, there must be 6 or
more resident spaces for people unrelated to the owner and, there must be a
minimum of 2 care services available (the Act defines what a care service is
specifically). So if a home doesn’t offer ‘care services’, they do not fall
into this classification and are not subject to regulation.
Licensing has been phased in
over a nearly 2 year period starting in April 2012. The final phase will occur
as of January 1, 2014 when all homes will be expected to fulfill all the
requirements set out in the legislation. At this point there are almost 700
retirement homes registered with the RHRA and we know that there are always new
ones under construction. People in homes or considering moving to one, should
educate themselves on the rules and regulations and resident rights. Visit the
website for the RHRA to find out this important information – www.rhra.ca. More on the RHRA in future posts….
But do let us know if there is something you would like to know about them or
the legislation as well……..
For additional information on this topic see the article entitled What is the RHRA?
For additional information on this topic see the article entitled What is the RHRA?
Tuesday, 3 December 2013
Retirement Home Regulation in Ontario
Several years ago, there were
‘consultations’ held in Ontario, to discuss the need for regulation of the
retirement home sector. Retirement homes are part of the ‘private sector’ while
there are a few not-for-profits out there, most are for profit and many owned
by small to large companies though there are still a few independent owners out
there. For the most part the homes that have existed are good and treat people
well, but over time there were enough reports of problems and a recognition
that seniors are very much a vulnerable population so there needs to be some
form of regulation. Fast forward a couple of years and we now have the
Retirement Homes Regulatory Authority (RHRA) in Ontario. Some other provinces
have some similar organizations, but it is by no means standard across Canada.
Anyway, the RHRA has a set of standards homes must abide by and has the ability
to regulate, inspect and educate homes. We think this is a very positive thing
for Ontario seniors and so, we will spend some time in our upcoming posts
sharing information about the RHRA and the regulations for retirement homes in
Ontario. You can look up the license status of all retirement homes on their
website www.rhra.ca.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)