‘Now is the time to act,’ says Coalition for the Dignity of Seniors
Six major associations representing 150,000 senior citizens in Quebec have joined together in a coalition to ask the Legault government to convene an estates-general meeting to consider major issues concerning the lives of senior citizens in Quebec.
The Coalition pour la dignité des ainés (Coalition for the Dignity of Seniors) (CDA) says the COVID-19 pandemic uncovered major shortcomings in the health system, especially with regards to services for senior citizens.
“This neglect can no longer go on,” said Rose-Mary Thonney, president of the Association québécoise des retraité(e)s des secteurs public et parapublic (AQRP) and spokesperson for the coalition.
“We must immediately take a path towards dignity for seniors and put everything on the table. Turn over every stone and have a real conversation on the quality of life of seniors. This deplorable situation, most notably in the CHSLDs, has been going on too long. The seniors of Quebec have concrete proposals to make. We should listen.”
The CDA is proposing 38 solutions to the problems. They include:
- Increasing budgets for at-home care;
- Freeing up some doctors from hospital duties so they can make more house calls;
- Improving worker conditions in CHSLDs;
- Modifying the Charter of Rights and Freedoms so there are more provisions for seniors;
- Create a new type of pension supplement for seniors who don’t have enough revenue.
“Estates-general will allow points to be made about the services offered to older people while hearing from a wider range of other people,” added Thonney. “Our 38 solutions a first step towards sensibly improving the living conditions of seniors.
‘This neglect can no longer go on,’ says Rose-Mary Thonne, president of the new coalition
“The government has the duty to listen and to enlarge the debate. Now is the time to act.”
The coalition is made up of the following organizations: The Association des retraitées et retraités de l’éducation et des autres services publics du Québec (AREQ-CSQ); the Association québécoise des retraité(e)s des secteurs public et parapublic (AQRP); the Association québécoise de défense des droits des personnes retraitées et préretraitées (AQDR); the Alliance des associations de retraités (AAR); the Regroupement interprofessionnel des intervenantes retraitées des services de santé (RIIRS); and the Association québécoise des directeurs et directrices d’établissement d’enseignement retraités (AQDER).
