Canada's registered nurses launch digital drive to bring real voice of seniors health to federal campaign

OTTAWA, August 6, 2015 /CNW/ -Today, the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) launched its Health Is Where the Home Is digital campaign for better seniors care and healthy aging, including an interactive cna-aiic.ca/election2015website. More than 14 per cent of Canadians are 65 or older — an age group expected to double by 2036. As the election campaign gets underway, CNA wants to draw attention to the significant gaps in seniors home care and the recommendations it has developed for federal leaders.

"CNA and Canadians are using the platform provided by the federal election campaign to share solutions with our federal leaders on how they can implement meaningful improvements for seniors health," said CNA president Karima Velji. "Our recommendations are grounded in the evidence and best practices that guide registered nurses and nurse practitioners. But we're also turning up the volume on Canadians' voices to demonstrate that aging affects us all."

Since last fall, CNA has met with all the major parties to present its strategies for better seniors home care:

1. Establish common standards for home care across Canada
2. Provide more support to family caregivers
3. Improve community- and home-based health promotion

CNA's election website (cna-aiic.ca/election2015) features several interactive tools and resources to help Canadians extend their voice beyond the ballot box. Visitors can share their thoughtson how the federal government could improve health care and say what they think Canadians need to age safely at home. The candidate contact toolmakes it easy for any user to identify and get in touch with the confirmed candidates in their riding. CNA will help promote the site by borrowing from social media's clickbait trend.

The association is also taking its strategies directly to the public with a number of community town halls. After a successful inaugural event in the hotly contested riding of Mississauga-Streetsville, CNA will be in Moncton-Riverview-Dieppe on September 1 and out west later in the fall.

CNA is the national professional voice representing 135,000 registered nurses in Canada. CNA advances the practice and profession of nursing to improve health outcomes and strengthen Canada's publicly funded, not-for-profit health system.

SOURCE Canadian Nurses Association

Kate Headley, Manager of Communications, Canadian Nurses Association, Telephone: [phone], ext. 561, Cell: 613-697-7507, E-mail: [email protected]