This fall brings with it several serious threats to the health and welfare of Canadians. The most obvious, of course, is the persistence of the Covid-19 pandemic. Thanks to the willingness of most of us to undergo prolonged isolation, social-distancing, and frequent hand-washing, the severity of the plague has been curbed in Canada, amounting to … Continue reading With two pandemics challenging us this fall, we face a more turbulent future than ever
Health care and pharmacare
When so many practise individualism and spurn collaboration, prospect for global anti-virus campaign dim
In a recent letter to the editor of the Ottawa Citizen, D. J. Phillips disagreed that everyone should be compelled to wear a face-mask. “It is your right to wear a face-mask,” Phillips conceded. ”However, it is not your right to inflict your preference on anyone else. If you feel better, use one, but don’t … Continue reading When so many practise individualism and spurn collaboration, prospect for global anti-virus campaign dim
Canadian governments have ignored abominable abuse of the elderly despite care-givers’ repeated alarms
Ten years ago, Pat Armstrong, a sociology professor at Toronto’s York University, released a study of long-term care of the elderly in Canada. She exposed the abysmal lack of staffing required to provide quality care. “Residents sit in soiled diapers because there are no workers available to answer their call. They often miss regular baths, … Continue reading Canadian governments have ignored abominable abuse of the elderly despite care-givers’ repeated alarms
There’s a much worse global pandemic than Covid-19: global capitalism
Is the coronavirus now encircling the globe Mother Nature’s desperate attempt to stop rampant capitalism from destroying sentient life on the planet? With most of the world’s political leaders still blatantly committed to abetting the reign of terror by the multinational corporations -- and with so many workers dependent on capitalism for their livelihood – … Continue reading There’s a much worse global pandemic than Covid-19: global capitalism
Canada’s pseudo-health care system relies on people getting sick, not staying well
Some geriatric specialists and health reformers have been claiming for years that a switch from curative to preventive health care would improve and prolong human life, and save many billions now spent on drugs, hospital stays, and home care. In the absence of a priority put on prevention in our perverse “illness treatment” system, we … Continue reading Canada’s pseudo-health care system relies on people getting sick, not staying well
Predicting federal election results may be dicey, but not discerning the best outcome
With media pundits and political junkies confidently foretelling the results of the October federal election, it may be considered presumptuous for a mere blogger like me to even speculate on the outcome. I am not, however, a complete political neophyte. Perhaps a brief account of my career in politics may help bolster my credentials as … Continue reading Predicting federal election results may be dicey, but not discerning the best outcome
Bogus concerns about pharmacare’s affordability contrived by conservatives to block or delay it
Conservative politicians and pundits are questioning the feasibility of adding pharmaceutical coverage to Canada’s public health care system. “How can our governments possibly afford such a huge additional expense?” they ask. They are asking the wrong question. Here are some of the proper questions to ask: How have the other economically advanced countries in Europe, … Continue reading Bogus concerns about pharmacare’s affordability contrived by conservatives to block or delay it
Growing old no longer a great feat, but staying old and healthy is
If I’d known I was gonna live this long, I’d have taken better care of myself. - Eubie Blake, on reaching the age of 100. As I approach my 93rd birthday while still remaining in good health, the requests increase that I divulge the “secret” of my longevity. My flippant response is usually that it … Continue reading Growing old no longer a great feat, but staying old and healthy is
As “fast” food displaces good food, more people gain weight, get sick, need costly medical care
The rate of obesity in Canada has risen to epidemic proportions, with one in eight of us now clinically obese and nearly half of us weighing more than we should. And it’s not because people are indifferent to weight gain. Far from it. The exercise and weight-loss business is booming, and diet books are consistently … Continue reading As “fast” food displaces good food, more people gain weight, get sick, need costly medical care
Cancers are preventable but won’t be if it requires curbing the profits corporations reap from sickness
It is now generally agreed upon by health specialists, such as Bob Wright of the American Anti-Cancer Institute, that most cancers are caused either by exposure to radiation or by carcinogens that have been spewed into the environment. Only a relative few cancers can be traced to defective genes inherited from our parents. Although cancers … Continue reading Cancers are preventable but won’t be if it requires curbing the profits corporations reap from sickness
The Nonagenarian's Notebook 