All Shook Up: The Impact of the Pandemic on Health Care in Canada – 4 Part Series
This event is offered in-person and livestream (check below for ticket options)
Tuesdays, April 25 through May 16
Note: Dr Nathan Stall is coming in remotely, the others will be in person at Grace United.
This series will examine the current challenges facing the Canadian health care system with particular emphasis on the impact of the pandemic on our health care, especially for seniors. Are current problems the result of long-standing issues or primarily created by the unprecedented strains on the system created by COVID? And what lies ahead?
Canadian Health Care–Before, During and After the Pandemic
Tuesday April 25 Dr Stuart Murdoch
Dr Murdoch will present an overview of the challenges facing the Canadian health care system. Was the pandemic the primary cause of cracks in the system or were they there long before? Did anything positive come of the pandemic? What have we learned from the pandemic that will help revive a flagging system?
COVID-19 and Ontario’s Long-Term Care Homes: Reimagining Care after Tragedy
Tuesday May 2 Dr Nathan Stall
This presentation will review the tragedy that unfolded in Ontario’s long-term care homes, and the impact it had on residents, staff, and family. Building on lessons learned from the pandemic, Dr. Stall will explore how Ontario can reimagine long-term care in the wake of COVID-19.
Dr Nathan Stall will be presenting remotely.
Mental Health Always Matters
Tuesday May 9 Valerie Grdisa and Jim Harris
The COVID-19 pandemic brought forward unprecedented challenges due to its multi-faceted impacts. Despite these pressures, mental health and addiction (MHA) providers put all their efforts into ensuring that individuals and families continued to access high-quality MHA services and supports that empower them and respond to their unique circumstances. Dr. Valerie Grdisa and Jim Harris will share how the MHA sector responded and transformed for all ages over the past 3 years, and what they both hope for the future.
Aging and Elder Care in Ontario: Time for Transformation!
Tuesday May 16 John Lord
The pandemic shook up long-term care and exposed a broken elder care system. In this presentation, we will explore the impact of this crisis, as well as ageism, which is one of the factors underlying this crisis. With Canada’s population aging, and longevity of Canadians at an all-time high, it is vitally important to listen to seniors and their aspirations. We will explore aging-in-community as an alternative to long-term care institutions, including enhanced home care and meaningful approaches to building supportive communities. We will highlight research and practice from Denmark, Japan, and the United States that has demonstrated how our elders’ attitudes and personalized community-based approaches can improve elders’ quality of life and longevity.
Speakers
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1. Dr. Stuart Murdoch, April 25Dr. Stuart Murdoch is the Postgraduate Education Program Director and an Associate Professor at the Department of Family and Community Medicine (DFCM at U of T). Dr. Murdoch is an experienced family physician, teacher and educational leader, and has been a key individual in the development and implementation of the Barrie residency program at the Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH). He has served in dual leadership roles as Chief, Department of Family Medicine, and the Family Medicine Residency Program Site Director at RVH for the past nine years.
A graduate of McMaster, Dr. Murdoch completed his family medicine residency training in Toronto. Since that time, he has committed to comprehensive family medicine in Barrie including inpatient and palliative care at Royal Victoria Hospital. He is highly-regarded for his leadership and innovation in postgraduate education. -
2. Dr. Nathan Stall, May 2
Dr. Nathan Stall is a geriatrician and scientist at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, and an assistant professor at the University of Toronto. He received his medical degree from Western University, and completed his residency in Internal Medicine and fellowship training in Geriatric Medicine at the University of Toronto. He also received a PhD in Clinical Epidemiology & Health Care Research at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (IHPME) at the University of Toronto. His research interests include family caregiving, long-term care, drug safety for older adults, sex- and gender-based determinants of ageing, and health care utilization among persons with dementia. During the COVID-19 pandemic he served as the Assistant Scientific Director of Ontario’s COVID-19 Science Advisory Table.
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3. Valerie Grdisa, May 9
Dr. Valerie Grdisa is the CEO of the Canadian Mental Health Association of Simcoe County. For more than 30 years, Dr. Grdisa has held positions as a clinician, senior manager and executive, faculty and academic administrator, consultant, and senior government official. She brings extensive addictions and mental health experience and is passionate about working collaboratively to transform the addiction and mental health (AMH) system.
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3. Jim Harris, May 9
Jim Harris is the CEO at New Path Youth & Family Services. He has worked in a leadership capacity in the field of mental health and addictions for over 20 years. During this time, he has been an active participant in system design and service delivery at the local, regional, provincial, and national levels. Jim is a lifelong Barrie resident and current member of Barrie City Council.
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4. John Lord, May 16
John Lord is a researcher, writer, and founding director of the Centre for Community Based Research, where he published widely on community alternatives for vulnerable citizens. As an elder and caregiver, he also has extensive lived experience with aging and disability. He is the author of several books, including Pathways to Inclusion: Building a New Story with People and Communities. A leader with Seniors for Social Action Ontario, John is the recipient of several awards, including the Order of Canada.
