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UPFRONT Local residents take action to improve nursing home care
Concerned residents from Haliburton County and Kawartha Lakes have banded together to form the Haliburton-CKL Long-Term Care Coalition to campaign for changes to nursing homes, both in Ontario and nationally.
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Bonnie Roe, co-chair of the group, notes the coalition supports and includes front-line long-term care workers. The group took action following the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths in local nursing homes in Kawartha Lakes this past spring and evacuation of a Haliburton nursing home due to a leaking roof last year.
Members want to see long-term care included in the Canada Health Act to ensure public funding and apply national standards.
They want the recommendations of the Registered Nursing Association of Ontario implemented. These include things like increasing staffing to ensure at least four hours per day of direct care per resident; improving workloads, working conditions, and conditions for care; increasing infection prevention and control and nurse practitioner expertise in care; and enhancing specialized expertise in long-term care leadership.
The coalition also says the culture of long-term care needs to become more resident-centred and rights-based.
Finally, members of the coalition are calling for an end to using private sector, for-profit companies for new nursing homes in Ontario. They would also like longterm care homes to consider using other models of care for older adults, such as the feelings-focused “butterfly” model.
Local residents who would like to take action to improve long-term care can contact Bonnie Roe by emailing her at hckllongtermcarecoalition@gmail.com or calling 705-286-2414.
Join the Coalition’s Facebook Group by searching Haliburton-CKL Long-Term Care Coalition.
Santa Day cancelled
The COVID pandemic has even affected Santa. Fenelon Falls’ muchloved Santa Day, usually held in late November, has been cancelled.
The Santa Day Committee stated in a news release that its members appreciate the event’s “many wonderful supporters through the years.”
BusinessUPFRONT
Local man’s book challenges business owners to think differently
The Zero In Formula, local author Dennis Geelen’s latest book, challenges business owners and leaders to think differently about their companies, especially as during a global pandemic.
Even before its release in paperback, it had already reached #1 Best Seller status on Amazon in two categories (business management and business leadership) for the first weekend it was available to order. Geelen argues that if you look at the most successful businesses throughout history, the businesses that have been able to rise to the top of their sectors and thrive through downturns, industry disruptions, or even a pandemic, were all built on being customer-centric and innovative.
“Building a business requires a level of customer-centric innovation to be a leader or disruptor with long-term sustainable success. This requires intention and a plan. This book gives you the right pieces to the puzzle,” says Geelen.
The ebook, paperback and audio book are available on Amazon.
To learn more about Geelen or Zero In, visit www.zero-in.ca
Marlene Morrison Nicholls, owner of Stewart Morrison Insurance, has been honoured by Insurance Business Canada (IBC) as one of 45 women who are changing the gender balance of Canada’s insurance industry.
About 40 per cent of those honoured hold executive level positions, from CEOs and owners to directors and department heads.
“These 45 women have proved themselves capable of overcoming stubborn cultural and societal obstacles to achieve any goal,” according to a statement from IBC. “As they forge a path for future generations of insurance professionals through today’s especially challenging economic climate,IBC is proud to highlight their individual achievements and contributions to the industry.”
Victoria Station already half full in new Railways Lands development
Kay Smith, who lives at Union Station in Lindsay. Photo: Erin Burrell.
Union Station is a condominium complex at the corner of Victoria Avenue South and Glenelg Street West in Lindsay that is part of the railway lands development. Its sister building is about to be built right beside it — and it’s already half full without a single brick being laid yet.
Doug Waring is a sales representative for MVW Construction, the local builder who owns the development. He says there’s “a lot going for this development, and one of the best things about it is the location.”
In addition to its location near downtown Lindsay, Union Station and the new Victoria Station also boast a sixth floor gathering room, an exercise room, underground parking and the choice of one- or two-bedroom suites.
