Book Mailing: Starting March 5, unsigned paperback copies of Neglected No More will be shipped to paid registrants.
Book Synopsis: It took the coronavirus pandemic to open our eyes to the deplorable state of so many of the nation's long-term care homes: the inhumane conditions, overworked and underpaid staff, and lack of oversight. In this timely new book, esteemed health reporter André Picard reveals the full extent of the crisis in eldercare, and offers an urgently needed prescription to fix a broken system.
When COVID-19 spread through seniors' residences across Canada, the impact was horrific. Along with widespread illness and a devastating death toll, the situation exposed a decades-old crisis: the shocking systemic neglect towards our elders.
Called in to provide emergency care in some of the hardest-hit facilities in Ontario and Quebec, the military issued damning reports of what they encountered. And yet, the failings that were exposed--unappetizing meals, infrequent baths, overmedication, physical abuse and inadequate personal care--have persisted for years in these institutions.
In Neglected No More, André Picard takes a hard look at how we came to embrace mass institutionalization, and lays out what can and must be done to improve the state of care for our elders, a highly vulnerable population with complex needs and little ability to advocate for themselves.
Picard shows that the entire eldercare system--fragmented, underfunded and unsupported--is long overdue for a fundamental rethink. We need to find ways to ensure seniors can age gracefully in the community for longer, with supportive home care and respite for family caregivers, and ensure that long-term care homes are not warehouses of isolation and neglect. Our elders deserve nothing less.
About Our Speakers:
André Picard is a health reporter and columnist for the Globe and Mail, where he has been a staff writer since 1987. He is also the author of five bestselling books. André is an eight-time nominee for the National Newspaper Awards, Canada's top journalism prize, and past winner of a prestigious Michener Award for Meritorious Public Service Journalism. He was named Canada's first "Public Health Hero" by the Canadian Public Health Association, and a "Champion of Mental Health" by the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health, and received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for his dedication to improving healthcare. André is a graduate of the University of Ottawa and Carleton University, and has received honorary doctorates from six universities, including UBC and the University of Toronto.
Leslee Thompson is currently Executive-in-Residence at the University of Toronto Rotman School of Management and CEO of Accreditation Canada (AC) & Health Standards Organization (HSO). In her capacity as CEO AC and HSO, Leslee is a global leader responsible for programs and services that are delivered in over 15,000 locations across 38 countries in the health, social service and education sectors. Leslee is an accomplished health care leader, a seasoned business executive, experienced corporate director, and a passionate champion of people centered care. Starting out as an ICU nurse, Leslee has a unique blend of experience that crosses multiple geographies, industries, and sectors, and has led numerous organizations through periods of significant change. Past executive roles include CEO Kingston General Hospital, VP Medtronic Canada, VP Cancer Care Ontario and Executive VP & COO in each of Sunnybrook Health Science Center, UHN Toronto Western Hospital and Royal Alex Hospital in Capital Health, Alberta. On the academic front, she has BScN from Queen’s, MScN from U of Toronto and MBA from Western University.
Questions: events@rotman.utoronto.ca, Daniel Ellul, (416) 978-6119