= I OPINION = EDITORIAL BETTER CARE For far too long, Ontario has taken an out-of-sight, 0 out-of-mind approach to the urgent and growing needs 7 s of its elderly residents. To their credit, the Liberal governments of Dalton S McGuinty and Kathleen Wynne poured billions of new § tax dollars into worthy measures such as daycare, post- anadi 5 secondary student support and enhanced prescription- drug coverage. Unfortunately, they largely ignored the demands a rapidly aging population were placing on the province's publicly subsidized nursing homes. ~~ As for Doug Ford's 16-month-old Progressive Conser- vative government, it's doing better with its commit- " ment to open 15,000 new long-term care beds by2024. But in case anyone needs reminding, a new report from the province's Financial Accountability Office warns that even these costly new beds are just a fraction of what all Ontarians require. We use the words "all A Ontarians" deliberately, The average wait thai siccion to arate for admission to @ province must ut the very nursing home has increased from 99 days in 2011 to 152 days today. elderly, infirm and can no longer care for themselves. Self-interest should ajso convince us that if we plan to reach a ripe old age, we ing home beds by 2034. There is a compelling moral argument that a society such as ours, which considers itself progressive and enlightened, should provide the best possible will want to ensure a high level of public support awaits us. There are approximately 35,000 Ontarians on waiting lists for long-term care beds, a 78 per cent increase from 2011. Meanwhile, the average wait for admission to a nursing home has increased from 99 days in 2011 to 152 days today. These numbers are shocking. The reality they re- present is unacceptable. As a society, we're simply not preparing for the tidal wave of elderly citizens rushing our way. And we won't end hallway health care unless we do more for the elderly. The PC government can be applauded for trying to do better by funding 15,000 new beds. But financial account- ability officer Peter Weltman points out that even add- ing 55,000 additional new beds by 2034 would only be enough to keep that daunting wait list at current levels. Ontario is rich enough to fund these beds, and even more. But it will 'require an ongoing, unshakable com- mitment from whoever's in power at Queen's Park in the 5 coming decade. There will surely be many other demands and dis- ELDERLY DESERVE least fund 55,000 more nurs- assistance to those who are tractions in that time. The government should stand g fast. No segment of our population has a better claim for § pubic support than Ontario's elderly, a> 3 T0 LEARN HOW n SUBMIT YOUR OWN CONTENT VISIT INSIDEHALTON.COM SNAPSHOL - he Ra . nN Se AR Hilton Falls Conservation Area displays plenty of autumn splendor. Got a great local photo you'd like to share? Send it to sleblanc@metroland.com. Mike Miller photo PACKSACKS FOR THE HOMELESS SWEET" COMMENT MADE MY DAY, WRITES STEPHEN ILOTT STEPHEN ILOTT Column On any given day I collect a lot of stuff. You name it I've decluttered it out and away from basements, attics, €los- ets, garages, storage units, under the stairs, from raf- ters and trunks and found a myriad of ways to get it all gone and used as opposed to contributing to landfills. One avenue is what I call packsacks for the home- less. Each morning I drive my wife to work in Toronto from Oakville to relieve her of a relentless train, subway, streetcar and walk commute, It also offers us a tiny bit of "us" time to kick- start our day. I'm usually back in time for my morn- ing client booking. This is where the pack- sacks come in. I stash one behind my seat and once off the Gardiner at Spadina am greeted by the many home- less who strive to survive in a completely different world - one most of us can never imagine. For the most part they are polite and thankful for any small offering. But instead of just a jingle of nickels and dimes I love to surprise them with, "How about a packsack full of great stuff you can use?" I asked myself what I would need if I had to live on the streets. I stuff in power bars, water, a flash- "light, a paperback of short stories, reading glasses, a portable medical kit with bandages and such, an.air- line gift bag of soaps, shav- ers, sewing kits, a baggie of _change, maybe a Tim's gift card, gloves, a sleeping bag rolled up and tied on, camping utensils and cups, a thermos, a hat, a scarf, clean socks, a sweatshirt, something funny to lighten their lives, something they could sell - anything I've collected in the packsack until I'm happy with it. One young woman, head shaved and plastered with tattoos, had one word for the packsack I handed out to her, "Sweet." That made my day. Declutter something for the homeless. It'll bring a little therapy to your home. Stephen llott is a home organizer and author of The Domestic Archaeol- ogist. Visit www.declutter- ing.ca or contact him at info@decluttering.c a or 416-460-8098. OPINIONS SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER AT INSIDEHALTON.COM . 905-631-6095. ABOUT US This newspaper, published every Thursday, is a division of the Metroland Media Group Ltd. | a wholly-owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. The Metroland family of newspapers is comprised of more than 80 community publications across Ontario. This newspaper is a member of the National NewsMedia Council. Complainants are urged to bring their concems to the attention of the news- paper and, if not satisfied, - write The National News Media Council, Suite 200, 890 Yonge St., Toronto, ON M4W 2H2. 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