2024 Annual General Meeting
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Coalition for Seniors & Nursing Residents’ Rights
Executive Director Message The Coalition for Seniors has advocated for policy changes for 20 years, achieving some progress, but more is required. The goal then was to remove the calculation of nursing home cost to exclude the value of your home, your bank accounts and your investments, cottage, and boat to ensure it was based on net income. We were successful in achieving that change in 2006. We continue to experience long wait lists for nursing home placement with over five hundred making their home in a hospital setting with a total of a thousand waiting for placement for a nursing home. This is a dramatic drain on our health care system. While making their home in the hospital setting their health deteriorates with little or no social interaction and stimulation. However, the government continues to build more homes with no staff, does this make sense? Not at all. It is well known that New Brunswickers, particularly seniors, are refusing to go to the emergency department due to long waits and not having a doctor. When they do require medical attention, often it is too late, they are either admitted or passed on. That is not acceptable. |
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Community Clinics with medical staff are needed to serve the communities of NB. We have an aging population with numbers increasing. Now is the time to address the shortfalls.
Twenty years ago, we had no social media to rely on, but we managed to get our message across and effected minor changes.
The government needs to address important policies such as making home care more affordable and publicly funded, retention of staff, better working conditions, benefits, and wages, creating affordable rates and regulated special care homes rates, and a streamlined assessment process so that quality care can be provided quicker at home or in a care facility.
By transferring seniors into a Ministry of their own under the auspicious of the Department of Health, is the right direction to take. Other provinces are under the Department of Health.
Why does NB want to be so different? It is not working.
It is time the GOVERNMENT listens to those on the ground who know better who are experiencing hardship with broken hearts. Seniors do not belong in the Department of Social Development; they are the forgotten ones in a huge department. The current system is an unfair process, when an individual receives subsidized care the entire family income is considered, often creating challenges for the person living at home.
In November, a change was made to leave 60 % of family income to the person at home. With the cost of living it takes both incomes to make ends meet. What is a couple to do?
We recommend the daily fees in a nursing home and special care homes be done on a sliding scale like other models such as in Manitoba. The Coalition has more work to do, we are not going away. With the help of NB citizens, we can effect change. Together we can do it. The time is ours to push forward. I want to close by expressing gratitude to the Board of Directors who have worked as a team in the last year to deliver the message of change. Seniors’ policies must change to better reflect quality of life no matter where they live in New Brunswick. Congratulations to the newly elected board for stepping up and taking on leadership roles with the Coalition for Seniors.
We look forward to collaborating with you to ensure the government addresses the needs of New Brunswickers in the coming months.
Thank you to the parting board members for your contribution to the Coalition.
Thank you to the members and supporters for your determined and unwavering support as we work to improve the lives of seniors so they may live with respect and dignity.
Respectively submitted,
Cecile Cassista, Executive Director
Twenty years ago, we had no social media to rely on, but we managed to get our message across and effected minor changes.
The government needs to address important policies such as making home care more affordable and publicly funded, retention of staff, better working conditions, benefits, and wages, creating affordable rates and regulated special care homes rates, and a streamlined assessment process so that quality care can be provided quicker at home or in a care facility.
By transferring seniors into a Ministry of their own under the auspicious of the Department of Health, is the right direction to take. Other provinces are under the Department of Health.
Why does NB want to be so different? It is not working.
It is time the GOVERNMENT listens to those on the ground who know better who are experiencing hardship with broken hearts. Seniors do not belong in the Department of Social Development; they are the forgotten ones in a huge department. The current system is an unfair process, when an individual receives subsidized care the entire family income is considered, often creating challenges for the person living at home.
In November, a change was made to leave 60 % of family income to the person at home. With the cost of living it takes both incomes to make ends meet. What is a couple to do?
We recommend the daily fees in a nursing home and special care homes be done on a sliding scale like other models such as in Manitoba. The Coalition has more work to do, we are not going away. With the help of NB citizens, we can effect change. Together we can do it. The time is ours to push forward. I want to close by expressing gratitude to the Board of Directors who have worked as a team in the last year to deliver the message of change. Seniors’ policies must change to better reflect quality of life no matter where they live in New Brunswick. Congratulations to the newly elected board for stepping up and taking on leadership roles with the Coalition for Seniors.
We look forward to collaborating with you to ensure the government addresses the needs of New Brunswickers in the coming months.
Thank you to the parting board members for your contribution to the Coalition.
Thank you to the members and supporters for your determined and unwavering support as we work to improve the lives of seniors so they may live with respect and dignity.
Respectively submitted,
Cecile Cassista, Executive Director
Executive Director, Cecile Cassista gave a summary of her work for the Coalition since the last AGM 2022.
The Coalition is calling on the Higgs government to address seniors in the province.
2022 COALITION FOR SENIORS AND NURSING HOME RESIDENTS' RIGHTS
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING |
Board of Directors 2024-2026
President Diane Mollins Past President Debbie Ellison 1st Vice President, Sharon Teare 2nd Vice President, Curtis Hachey Treasurer John Bailey Secretary Lorraine Casey Director Sharon Geldart Director John McKay Director Kim Copp Director June McNairn Emeritus Director Hector Cormier Emeritus Director Claire Gay Executive Director Cecile Cassista 
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