A new position was added by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during his cabinet shuffle – Minister of Seniors.
The position was given to Hamilton M.P. Filomena Tassi. She’s a former corporate lawyer who came up with programs to connect seniors with High School students during her 20 years as a High School Chaplain.
Debbie Rollins, the Director of Long Term Care with Hastings County, says that having a Minister dedicated to Seniors is a good thing.
She added that another problem that long-term care facilities have run into is lack of staff and funding. She went on to say that every year brings new challenges. Rollins says that caring for Seniors now is more complex than what it was 10 to 15 years ago.
She says that because of this, Seniors are requiring more hands-on care than ever before. With that in mind, she says she would like to see the hours of care per resident requirement increased to four.
When Tassi was named as Minister she said that her work is in tribute to her 89 year old Mother. She said she sees this as a way to give back to her, and everyone else’s, Moms. Rollins says that having that experience with seniors care is crucial.
After being nominated Tassi said, “that acknowledging the contributions that seniors have made to our society, to the economy, promoting those, and then providing opportunities for seniors to continue to do that, and to afford them the opportunity to know that moving forward, that we care about them, that we’re going to try to provide for them the best possible way of flourishing.”