Mad Mom’s mad about shipping elders south

Iqaluit elders enjoy the RCMP Christmas dinner in later November 2014. The proportion of senior citizens within Nunavut’s population is expected to grow rapidly in the future. (FILE PHOTO)

Mad Mom here.

What am I mad about you wonder?

It’s about the “shipping-an-elder-south” practice that is happening.

The story of the discovery of an elder, whose Nunavut family thought he was dead, living in a senior’s home in Ottawa, is only added to by the very quiet, but on-going decision on the part of the Government of Nunavut to ship elders south rather than get serious and construct the number of continuing care homes and elders homes that are much needed in Nunavut.

Just last week, an elder, who had been languishing in a hospital bed for seven to eight months, in Rankin Inlet was told she was going to a seniors’ home in Ottawa, as they needed the bed.

This unilingual lady, whose only offense was getting old, was subsequently shipped to Ottawa, to a strange and foreign world, where she would know no one and no one would be able to understand her.

What a way to spend the last chapter of your life, isolated from family, friends, your land, your language, your identity and any sense of peace.

This quiet ship-an-elder-south behaviour has to stop. At their most vulnerable time of life, this is all we can think of?

Whose bright idea is this and why is it being condoned by the GN, who love to say how much they respect elders? Hah!

Her grandson escorting her said he was “shell shocked” to be taking her there and had been told “it would only be for a while.” The long waiting list for beds in existing continuing care and elders homes in our territory, says otherwise.

What the heck are we doing to elders in Nunavut? We can’t do any better than this?

Where is our long-awaited elders strategy to develop centres in Nunavut? Where is the dedicated funding attached to such a strategy, that would result in construction jobs, valuable caregiver training and good employment opportunities for these facilities that could also help communities?

A recent report tabled in the Legislative Assembly predicts a 600-per-cent rise in the number of elders in the coming years and we do nothing about it? How sane, organized, respectful and caring is that?

The simple fact is that our elders, thankfully, are living much longer than they used to.

This increase in life expectancy however, means they are contracting all the diseases of the real elderly like vascular dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and related disorders that may rob them of partial or total ability to function and they need help.

Ship them south? Surely the GN will halt this heartless practice immediately. That will entail finding the funds to address keeping our elders close to home with all the supports and engagement their status in our hearts demand.

Mad Mom
Iqaluit