Lack of experience in caregiving is a hidden form of elder abuse
To the Expositor:
Living in the community of Wiikwemkoong is a living hellhole. Especially when you do not have a car and living on a fixed income, not having too much support from family even though we have this service from Amik-ook for elders like me. It’s being run by long-term care services and the service is very inadequate. When somebody really needs a ride there is no service at times because the driver is on a day off, or they do not have a designated driver. When this happens, even sometimes there is not service for a week without notice. When asking why you might you might just get a very ignorant answer, or sometimes I will ask an elder how they feel about it, they say it’s lousy also saying well they do not care about us, they only care about the money. It’s saddening when I hear that from an elder how they are expressing their feelings, feeling hurt and not saying anything about it. They are holding it in, which is not healthy. Wiikwemkoong has five satellite communities to serve, Amik-ook services only have one car for this, and I know they need at least two or three cars for this service in order to have good quality service for the elders. Furthermore, I believe there is only one person who has experience as a caregiver with Amik-ook service. Anybody who wants to work, or to volunteer with Amik-ook services, it should be mandatory for them to take a training course as a caregiver.
Ron Osawabine
Wiikwemkoong
