CARP Calls for Action on Elder Abuse
A report from the Minister for Seniors' Roundtable
CARP was invited to participate in a roundtable event on Elder Abuse hosted by Alice Wong, Federal Minister of State for Seniors. The roundtable on January 20th brought together experts in the field to share experience and research on a range of issues in elder abuse, including prevalence of the crime and recommendations for action. Read more
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Submission to the House of Commons Standing Committee: the Implications of Chronic Diseases on Ageing
Health care remains a top priority for our members, like it is for all Canadians, but it matters more as we age – despite the fact that today’s generation of older Canadians are living longer, healthier lives.
The Canadian health care system serves Canadians well for acute care but is not mandated to provide continuing care for those with chronic diseases – for which medicine has no cure. That responsibility – which we would call “quality of life” care – falls to informal caregivers and the home care sector which is at best a patchwork across the country. Read more
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CARP Members in BC Attend the Minister of State for Seniors Roundtable on Elder Abuse
I attended the roundtable on elder abuse hosted by the Honourable Alice Wong, Minister of State for Seniors, in Vancouver January 17th. Jack Mar, Chapter Chair of White Rock/Surrey Chapter also attended. In addition to several federal government officials, other participants included the Alzheimer Society of British Columbia, the BC Centre for Elder Advocacy Support, the Council of Senior Citizens’ Organizations of British Columbia, 411 Seniors Vancouver, Park Place Seniors Living and a low income housing society. Read more
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Power and Politics: Susan Eng on the PM's Pension Fix
CARP VP of Advocacy Susan Eng squared off against the Niels Veldhuis, VP of Canadian Policy Research for the Fraser Institute. Following the PM's recent announcement on the fate of our pension system they discussed the sustainability of the Old Age Security system and what the new policy might mean for people. To watch a video of the Power and Politics segment of Susan's panel discussion... Read more
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Susan Eng Comments on the PM's Plans for the OAS
Radio Interview with Dale Goldhawk
Susan Eng was invited to Goldhawk Fights Back to talk about the Prime Minister's Plan make changes to the Old Age Supplement program. Read more
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Susan Eng talks to the CBC about the PM's statement on Pension Income
Video
Susan Eng sat down with CBC to explain why the Prime Minister's plan to slash retirement income is unwise and unnecessary. Click here to view a video of the interview.
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As opposition builds, PMO seeks to blunt charges it is going after seniors
Canadian Press story runs accross the country
The Harper government is moving to deflect political blowback from planned cuts to public pensions, as the opposition blasted the prime minister for putting seniors' security on the block. Read more
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ZNews: CARP at the Minister of State for Senior’s Roundable to Combat Elder Abuse
On January 20th 2012, CARP participated in a roundtable event on Elder Abuse hosted by Alice Wong, Federal Minister of State for Seniors. The roundtable brought together experts in the field and CARP was there to present a strong set of recommendations. Read more
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Canada Supreme Court nixes securities regulator
Investor groups and the financial services industry are bemoaning a decision last month by the Supreme Court of Canada that could end once and for all a decades-old effort to establish a national securities regulator.
The Canadian government had asked the court to rule on the constitutionality of the establishment of a federal regulatory body akin to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Read more
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Media Statement from Prime Minister’s office on increasing age for OAS
Are You Satisfied?
Media are speculating that the federal Government may make changes to Old Age Security.
Our Government is committed to ensuring the retirement security of Canadians.
To be clear: there will be no changes to the benefits seniors currently receive. Read more
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OAS change would hit seniors hard
Mr. Harper portrayed his agenda as a fix for a generation
Raising eligibility age wouldn’t come without a fight.
The “Golden Years” could be delayed for many Canadians if the federal government does indeed raise the age for Old Age Security eligibility... Read more
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New Ways to Track Lost Seniors: Susan Eng on CTV News
Video
New Ways to Track Lost Seniors: Susan Eng on CTV News
On January 19th 2012 Susan Eng, CARP VP of Advocacy was featured on CTV News. She discusses the Halifax Regional Police’s use of GPS technology to help prevent seniors with Alzheimer’s from getting lost. Read more
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No Health Accord – now what?
CARP proposes an Alternate Vision- Get to Work on Pharmacare, National Home Care and Age-Friendly Health Care
Just because the provincial premiers did not get the year long fight they were girding up for doesn’t mean that the health care system will collapse nor that it is fine as it is. The federal government dropped the so-called bombshell just before the Premiers met in January – ‘Here’s $40 billion in federal funds – take it or leave it – we’re not discussing any conditions’.
The premiers as a group called this a bad thing – leaving the rest of us scratching our heads – and came up with a hastily constructed Plan B for a couple of committees to study practice protocols and tinker with managing the supply of doctors and nurses. There must have been more but we can’t know because it’s to be studied. If this was what the Health Accord negotiations were going to be about, it’s just as well we saved months of political posturing.
Read more
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CARP Takes Its Message to the Media: a Summary of the Coverage We've Accumulated in the Past 24-hours (Since the PM's OAS Announcement)
While at the World Economic Forum in Davos Switzerland yesterday (Thursday, January 26th 2012) Stephen Harper announced a series of major new policy changes including an overhaul of Canada’s retirement income system, which he currently deemed “unsustainable”. This almost certainly means that he intends to introduce measures to either decrease the OAS or raise eligibility requirements. As a result of this development, media outlets have been clamoring to hear CARP’s take the issue and in the past 24 hours, Susan Eng, CARP VP of Advocacy has been interviewed by:
• The Globe and Mail
• AM740
• Goldhawk Fights Back
• The Canadian Press (Cross-Country Coverage)
• CBC News
• Rosemary Barton for Power and Politics
• CTV News
• CHCH News
• CFRA Ottawa
• The Lethbridge Herald
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Previous Issues of CARP Action Online
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BREAKING NEWS!
Prime Minister Harper unveils grand plan to reshape Canada
Harper: We’ve already taken steps to limit health-care spending. … We must do the same for our retirement-income system
He said he plans to make Canada’s old-age supplement program sustainable. What that means is unclear. He did not spell out whether seniors will have to wait longer to receive the benefit or whether clawbacks would be increased for higher income earners.
Read more
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‘Major transformations’ coming to Canada’s pension system, Harper tells Davos
PM launches his New Plan at the World Economic Forum
DAVOS, Switzerland — Addressing the World Economic Forum, Prime Minister Stephen Harper signalled his government will bring forward “major transformations” to the country in the coming months — in areas such as the retirement pension system, immigration, science and technology investment and the energy sector — while making a forceful case for pro-growth economic policies over entitlements.
Of those reforms, Harper said, getting a grip on slowing the rising costs of the country’s pension system is particularly critical. Read more
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An Intro to Protecting Your Investments: Tops Broker Scams to Avoid
Buyers beware of shady investment practices
Some of you may remember how the infamous bank robber Willie Sutton allegedly responded when asked why he robbed banks.
“Because that’s where the money is”.
After a lifetime of hard work and saving, there’s no denying that older Canadians have amassed a concentration of assets. This alone makes them great targets for financial fraud. Read more
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Caregiver’s Diary: My New Life In Ontario
Now that my widowed 88 year old father has settled into his new retirement residence, he has taken up writing a journal, something he always sent us from whatever small town my parents had moved to. I’m going to let Dad tell his story, unvarnished and unedited. Read more
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The “If Something Happens” Binder
Our all New: "Tips for Living" Feature Will Now be a Regular Column!
As we age, the possibility increases that someone will have to take over our affairs if we are incapacitated or when we die. Many of us know where to find our important documents, but fewer have put all the information down in one place, so that our family or the executors of our estate can locate it easily, if something happens.
It takes some time and effort to create a loose-leaf binder – or even a file folder that will assist your family or the executor of your estate – or that of your spouse – in such a situation. But once you have accumulated all the information, you’ll feel confident that your affairs can be dealt with efficiently. In this article we will also provide you with a template you can download to get your started. Read more
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Ask the Doctor: Back to Opioids. The dual tragedy continues. PART II
In Part I of this two part series, I discussed over-prescription and overuse of opioids in Ontario and other provinces. Now, I am going to discuss the other side of the problem. Under-prescribing or refusal to prescribe these powerful drugs, even when they are needed and can help a patient, is also a daily reality. Unfortunately, this part of the story is not making headlines or it is being sensationalized in media. Read more
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Spinal Stenosis: The burden of the aging spine!
Advice from a spinal surgeon
Hi, my name is Bernie. Like most of you, I have suffered from low back pain on and off, but more recently I have developed pain down my legs whenever I walk or stand for longer than a few minutes. In fact the more I try to walk, the more my legs ache and I just have to sit down. Amazingly, within a few minutes my leg feel normal again and off I go. I tell you, having to live my life 5-10 minutes at a time is not how I envisioned my retirement! Read more
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NDP fails to convince committee to study health funding
"There are huge concerns about the unilateral nature of that decision..."
The NDP failed to convince Conservative MPs at a special health committee meeting Thursday to undertake a study on the federal government’s plan to fund health care.
The health committee was recalled for an early meeting – Parliament resumes sitting Monday – to debate a motion calling for a study of the federal government’s announcement on how it will transfer health funds to the provinces after the current agreement expires in 2014. Read more
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Investor Protection Poll Report
Overwhelming majority of members believe CARP's elder abuse and investor protection work is important
On three key CARP advocacy files, the wide, and in two cases, the vast majority of members think CARP’s involvement is important. Members favour the move to stiffen sentences for elder abusers because it will reduce incidence of abuse and raise awareness of the problem.
They favour CARP’s call for a National Investor Protection Agency with enforcement and redress powers because it will protect investors and set national standards for securities dealers. Members agree this agency will be very effective in reducing fraud.
One tenth of members have been victims of elder financial abuse, but four times as many know someone else who has been a victim, which may indicate serious underreporting of the problem.
Members agree the best way to personally avoid elder financial abuse is to never give out personal information, know one’s own risk tolerances and be financially knowledgeable. Read more
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