At present, few housing options exist for Nova Scotian’s with severe physical disabilities. In order to receive round-the-clock care, people with severe physical disabilities are forced to move into a nursing home if they cannot afford to live independently.
News release: Today, CUPE Nova Scotia and CUPE 8920 acute care workers launched a new radio to bring attention to broken promises made by Premier Stephen McNeil when he moved the provincial system to a single health care authority.
“Like most everybody else, at one time I never gave a thought to living with chronic pain. I knew nothing about navigating the world of WCB, of modified work duties, of never going back to the person I was before the injury.” Barbara Carter continues to share her experiences of chronic pain and all that it entails.
An open letter from two parents in desperate need of supports for their Autistic son. “I have chosen to put this in your lap. You are the minister of Health. Something has to be done for my family and many others who silently suffer daily with little to zero help.”
Media release: CUPE Nova Scotia is calling on the McNeil government to immediately increase funding to all publicly-funded long-term care facilities, so they reach a minimum staff funding of 4.1 hours of care per resident each day.
Letter by Nan McFadgen, president of CUPE Nova Scotia, on the continuing crisis in long term care in our province. “I am frustrated that government does not hear our voices. Recruitment and retention continue to get worse in long term care. Would you be attracted to a profession where you are underpaid, undervalued, understaffed and underfunded?”
Bill Swan on the nightmarish summer that began after a CT scan reveals a lesion on his lung, and how that all that misery could so easily have been prevented. “Fixing this would not involve any significant cost, no intensive study, no major change in administration. Fixing this is as simple as treating the patient with the most basic of consideration—respect.”
The NSGEU and the NS College of Social Workers are raising the alarm about the state of child welfare services in Nova Scotia. Insufficient funding and increased complexity are putting pressures on the system that cannot be sustained, they warn. Parents and children will suffer as a result, and they are calling on Nova Scotians to help put a stop to that.
Announcing a new series of articles by Barbara Carter, about what it like to to live with chronic pain in Nova Scotia. “Sometimes I think we remain too silent about too many things. Often we wait for someone else to be the change we want to see.This is why I want to share some of my personal experiences with Nova Scotia Advocate readers over the next months, in the hope that it may benefit someone else, in some way.” Barbara tells me she is thinking about tackling her experiences with getting diagnosed and the role of the WCB next.
“Metro councilors play a game. They warn if we want improved snow and ice clearing we all must pay more taxes. Fair enough. But out of a different pocket, we are now collectively paying through our taxes for the strains on Emergency rooms and the health care system. So we all pay one way or another,” writes Judy Haiven.