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Here it is March and we are seeing
the beginnings of spring. I have been searching the
seed catalogues looking for some different plants and
am getting ready to plant my container gardens. I'll
probably end up with nearly the same flowers but it
is fun to look.
Be
sure to do something special at your club for St.
Patrick's Day and send us pictures. A reminder to
all clubs that the Resolutions are due by April 10,
2009. Please get your resolutions in on time. It is
important that each club be able to have their say
at the convention on August 17 - 19, 2009.
The
Ontario government is trying to ensure Ontarians receive
the highest quality of home care service with a new
strategy that includes province-wide quality measures
and a public reporting system.
The
strategy is to strengthen the way Community Care Access
Centres make arrangements for home care service, provides
information and referrals to community related services
and authorize admissions to long-term care homes.
(News release December 15, 2008.) Highlights of the
strategy include:
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Strengthening
accountability for home care service among service
providers and CCACs by implementing quality measures
and a public reporting system.
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Improving
the current CCAC competitive bidding process to
ensure consistency, quality care for clients and
to enhance transparency and fairness in the selection
of service providers.
-
Enabling
CCACs to provide clients with care teams suited
to their medical condition.
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Expanding
the role of CCACs to include placing clients in
adult day programs and supportive housing, providing
services such as diagnostic and respiratory therapy
and offer nursing and other treatment services in
group settings.
Hopefully
we will see improvement with CCACs if they hire more
staff and the government gives them larger budgets
to work with. Time will tell us if it is working or
not. If you know you are going to need CCACs assistance
after an operation, etc. I suggest you get the help
set up at least a month before you require their assistance.
Quick
Fact:
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Currently,
about 600,000 people receive home care services
in Ontario which represents about 60 percent of
Ontarians over 65.
In
2007, the government launched Aging at Home, a four
year, $1.1 billion strategy designed to support seniors
to live healthy independent lives in the comfort and
dignity of their own homes. Find out more about the
services currently provided by CCAC. Read more about
the governments Aging at Home Strategy. We would like
to hear from anyone who has been helped by this strategy.
In
2006 Stan Buell of the Small Investor Protection Association
(SIPA) spoke at our convention in Kitchener. Since
then, the USCO has worked with SIPA on several presentations
and submissions. Last summer we made a joint submission
to the Expert Panel on Securities Regulation which
included recommendations for a national regulator,
an authority with power to order restitution for victims
of investment fraud and wrong doing, and an Investor
Protection Fund to pay compensation to victims. The
Expert Panel issued their Report on January 13, 2009
and their recommendations included:
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The
establishment of the Canadian Securities Commission
to administer a single securities act for Canada.
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A
securities regulator with the power to order compensation
in the case of a violation of securities law so
that the investor would not be required to resort
to the courts.
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Establishment
of an investor compensation fund funded by industry
to allow the securities regulator to directly compensate
investors for a violation of securities law.
The
government budget for 2009 includes provision for implementing
a national securities regulator as recommended by the
Expert Panel. Since there is a trend to move from Defined
Benefit Pensions towards Defined Contribution Pension
Plans, it means the risk of investment is being transferred
from the Pension Plans to the Pensioner. Therefore it
is even more important that Ontarians have adequate
investor protection. We are writing the Finance Minister
to show our support for this initiative (three recommendations)
and we ask each of you to write or talk to your Member
of Parliament asking him/her to support the three implementations
of the Expert Panel's recommendations for investor protection.
Our seniors and investors need more protection so we
are asking for your help.
You probably already know that scientists have found
that the more friends you have, the healthier you'll
be. So spend more time with upbeat friends and you'll
not only be healthier, you'll be happier too, according
to a new British Medical Journal. "You will do
something right today" so often we focus on what
we didn't get done or what we could have done better
- on the things that went "wrong." But we
all make little mistakes and missteps - and yours only
seem huge to you. So today - right now- start a mental
list of all you do well. It'll be miles longer that
you think!
There are 1440 minutes in this day. Spend some of them
on yourself.
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The
United Senior Citizens Of Ontario Inc.
3033 Lakeshore
Blvd. W.
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
M8V 1K5
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