The Council on Aging of Ottawa (COA) has always been committed to improving the well-being of seniors and age-friendly services in our community.
In line with that commitment, the COA’s Health Issues Committee recently reviewed the state of long-term care in Ottawa and concluded that long-term care was not working well for anyone – seniors, their families, and the staff who work in this sector. More visible than ever these days, the COVID-19 pandemic has tragically laid bare the many serious weaknesses in long-term care.
In late 2019, the Board approved the report Long-Term Care in Ottawa: We Need Change Now! that outlined the COA’s vision for long-term care, identified four priorities for change and highlighted measures for monitoring these needed changes. The original plan to release the report with a public event this spring was understandably cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.