Seniors

"'We're starting off in Hinton because Hinton is well known for the problems of losing its long-term care, going to assisted living,' said Noel Somerville, chair of the PIA Seniors Task Force, and one of the speakers at the event. 'That's forced many seniors out of the community.' Hinton currently does not have a long-term care facility, which is the highest designation of medical attention for patients in residential care by Alberta Health Services.

Coverage of Grandparents' Day from Radical Citizen Media, video in the link.

"Grande Prairie residents young and old gathered at Muskoseepi Park this weekend for a rally on issues concerning Alberta’s seniors. More than 20 supporters showed up for the discussion, which coincided with National Grandparents’ Day on Sunday. The rally was a collaborative effort of the Alberta Seniors Task Force and Public Interest Alberta, which have labelled cuts to public seniors care services as being 'unfair.'"

"Dozens of seniors marked Grandparents’ Day on Sunday at the Alberta legislature grounds protesting provincial cuts to programs for the elderly. A crowd of about one hundred people, including seniors and their families, attended the rally organized by advocacy group Public Interest Alberta."

EDMONTON—On this year’s Grandparents’ Day, seniors, grandparents and their families are joining together to call on the Alberta government and Minister Fred Horne to protect and enhance quality public care for seniors. 'While many groups have been hit by Alberta government cuts, with seniors, it is the most vulnerable who have been targeted,' said Noel Somerville, Chairperson of Public Interest Alberta’s Seniors Task Force.

EDMONTON—On this year’s Grandparents’ Day, seniors, grandparents and their families are joining together to call on the Alberta government and Minister Fred Horne to protect and enhance quality public care for seniors.

Seniors built this province and instead of caring for Alberta seniors, the Alberta Government is cutting essential seniors public care.

Noel Somerville, chair of PIA's Seniors Task Force, speaks to the need for national standards for adequate public seniors care, and in Alberta those standards need to be vastly improved. [VIDEO]

"AHS plans to release information about the providers contracted to deliver home care once Davidson’s review is complete and any appeals are wrapped up. Noel Somerville, chairman of the seniors task force for Public Interest Alberta, is pushing Horne to reverse the consolidation. He said he is disappointed to see Davidson indicate she also believes putting the services in the hands of a few companies makes sense. 'I think the action Alberta Health Services took was precipitous,' he said. 'They’ve been toying with a lot of people’s lives.'

"Health Minister Fred Horne says he is facing a time crunch in his effort to re-examine changes to the home-care system, but has no plans to undo a decision that will see the service primarily provided by a handful of private companies."

"The advocacy group 'Public Interest Alberta' is calling on Health Minister Fred Horne to reverse changes to home care, as Alberta Health Services moves to replace existing contracts with privatised care. According to the chair of Public Interest Alberta's Seniors Task Force, that has many care workers, and the patients who depend on them, voicing concerns they've been left in the dark while the government has yet to reveal the full details of the transition."