Community Care Access Centres applaud Ontario's Seniors Strategy with bold recommendations to provide better care to older adults

TORONTO, Jan. 8, 2013 /CNW/ - With a pivotal role in caring for over 300,000 seniors each year, Ontario's 14 Community Care Access Centres (CCACs) enthusiastically support the recommendations released today in Living Longer, Living Well and are committed to working together with health care system partners to increase and improve care for seniors.

Developed through a broad, comprehensive and consultative approach, Provincial Lead, Ontario Seniors Strategy, Dr. Samir Sinha's report, Living Longer, Living Well focuses on addressing the needs of Ontario's seniors holistically and sustainably to support a more coordinated delivery of health and social services to help seniors to stay healthy and stay at home longer.

"We commend Dr. Sinha for his thoughtful and insightful approach - listening carefully to the views of Ontario's seniors and their families," says Dan Burns CEO, Ontario Association of Community Care Access Centres (OACCAC).  "We know seniors want to stay healthy and in their homes for as long as possible.  To help make this happen, we must work together to promote seniors' health and independence and look for better ways to support the most vulnerable seniors in each community across Ontario."

Building strong partnerships with doctors, nurse practitioners, hospitals, pharmacists and many other health care professionals, and working in closely knit teams is essential for providing patients with more coordinated care. CCACs can help seniors understand their options and maintain their health and independence, avoiding unnecessary trips to hospital and ensuring seniors are safe and well cared for in their own home, only going to a Long-Term Care home when absolutely necessary.

"Working hand-in-hand with our partners, we are eager to work with Dr. Sinha to implement the Seniors Strategy," continues Mr. Burns. "We are already making a difference. For example, last year, through Ontario's Health Care Connect program, we helped more than 70,000 people find family physicians or nurse practitioners, including more than 7,100 with high care needs.  And as Dr. Sinha recommends, we need to make sure every senior in Ontario, who wants one, has a primary care provider."

Access to information and connecting seniors and their caregivers to the wealth of care and supports that are available through Ontario's acute and community service system are identified in the report as key recommendations. Through thehealthline.ca, soon to be implemented province-wide, CCACs are providing a single point of access to seniors, their caregivers and health system providers to a wide-range of health information, services and supports.

About Ontario's CCACs:

Community Care Access Centres (CCACs) connect people across Ontario with quality in-home and community-based health care. Caring for more than 600,000 Ontarians annually, we provide information, direct access to qualified care providers and community-based services to help people come home from hospital or live independently at home.

SOURCE: Ontario Association of Community Care Access Centres

Gabriella Skubincan, Director, Communications, OACCAC
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