Nothing says chronic pain like old age. Advancing years almost inevitably bring with them a plethora of aches and pains that are fodder for an encyclopedia of nursing home black humour and jokes told by the elderly. To check on the veracity of that concept, one need only check in on the elderly person living next door or across the street. Chances are they will confirm a marked rise in pain accompanies the accrual of birthday candles. But in the end, it is really no joking matter.
It probably has not escaped the notice of anyone living in small Northern Ontario rural communities that the median age in those communities is rising steadily and inexorably. For most there is no real end in sight to that trend, time marches on, so health issues and particularly those issues relating to access to timely and effective medical services are of considerable concern to a growing number of Northerners, among whom Manitoulin communities are to be counted.
Any strategy to tackle the issues accompanying chronic pain need to address the larger proportion of elderly that reside in rural and Northern communities if it is to be an equitable approach to the issue. The solution cannot simply be: move to a larger urban area. It is unreasonable to expect the elderly or other residents of Northern and rural communities dealing with chronic pain to uproot themselves, and possibly their families, to resettle in larger urban centres.
Economically, such a move will often result in a marked decline in the quality of life of the health care refugee, as life in larger urban centres is often a good deal more expensive than life in a small rural community. Such a move to a more anonymous urban centre could result in the loss of those considerable ad hoc support systems that abound in rural communities, where neighbours still know and help neighbours and communities tend to look after their own.
The social disconnection that results from dislocations to unfamiliar communities have also been proven to be ruinous to the health, both physical and mental, of the elderly and infirm. It is well documented that the quality of life of the elderly is highest when they can be maintained in the familiar comfort of their own home.
It is well past time that those who design our health systems take into account the needs of rural and Northern communities and include sufficient outreach and flexibility in those systems to positively impact people living in those communities.
The current provincial government and in particular the current premier has indicated its determination to rebuild its relationship with both rural and Northern communities. If they want to win back the trust of the people outside of metropolitan Toronto and the Golden Horseshoe, a comprehensive strategy to combat chronic pain and illness that reaches into those communities would be a good a place to start.
Old people do tend to hobble to their way to the ballot box in disproportionate numbers.
