Ontario ERs Reaching a Breaking Point
Doctors and nurses across Canada have been calling for help for months, as the COVID-19 pandemic overwhelmed resources that they say were already stretched — leading to an unparalleled wave of staff shortages that they say is reaching a breaking point. In the meantime, the average emergency department wait time in Ontario is now at 20.7 hours for patients admitted to most hospitals, regardless of size.
Union Says GTA Needs 15K More Healthcare Workers to Maintain Current Level of Care
Members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) assure that roughly 15,000 healthcare workers and 500 paramedics must be hired this year alone to maintain current patient care and service levels at hospitals across the GTA. During a news conference held this week, union representatives called on the province to address the severe staffing shortages plaguing Ontario hospitals and putting immense stress on those who work in them.
A Cup of Joe with Joe LIVE for National Coffee Day!
Today, September 29, 2022, is National Coffee Day so we figured it would be the perfect time to record another episode of A Cup of Joe with Joe and talk all about what's happening in the world of Caring Support! Our very own Joseph Jongsma and James Smith give us all the updates on new and upcoming features to get excited about.
Study Reveals Pandemic Spurred Exodus of Ontario Family Doctors
New research by Unity Health Toronto indicates that Ontario family doctors left the profession at the start of the pandemic at double the rate of the years before COVID-19 hit. The study revealed that about three percent of family doctors across the province (around 385 doctors) stopped practising between March and September 2020, which accounted for an estimated 170,000 patients losing access to primary care.
Ontario Hospital Leaders Say New Nursing Home Law Could Help Free Up Beds
Several Ontario hospital leaders say much-needed beds could be freed up by a new law that would move discharged patients awaiting long-term care to nursing homes not of their choosing, although some hope to avoid using it on a broad scale. The law, which went into effect Wednesday, allows hospitals to send those patients to homes up to 70 kilometres away in southern Ontario and up to 150 kilometres away in northern regions, on a temporary basis.
Experts Call For Better Dementia Treatment
In a recent report, Alzheimer’s and dementia experts are calling for better treatment for patients and better education for healthcare professionals, revealing that the majority of dementia patients receive little to no post-diagnosis care. According to Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI) up to 85 percent of dementia patients may not receive care for their dementia following diagnosis. About 55 million people around the globe, and more than 500,000 in Canada alone, are living with dementia.