GUELPH, Ontario, June 10, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The crisis in Ontario’s long-term care homes has highlighted a system of care for our most vulnerable citizens that is not working. So many causes have been identified, but they have the same bottom line – profit before people.

What if our seniors and their attendants were given the power that comes with ownership? With the people who actually live and work in the homes making the decisions about the best way to care for everyone, the current system would improve significantly.

From a June 2008 report by John Restakis: “The crisis of elder care in Canada is solvable. And the co-operative movement holds the keys to an organizational and economic model that can bring tangible benefits to a segment of our society that has been neglected for too long.”

The co-operative business model has a triple bottom line – people, planet and profit.  Imagine a long-term care home co-owned by the residents and the front-line workers. The residents, along with their care givers, would decide how to spend the budget, the level of care necessary for everyone and the wages required for staff to ensure they are making a decent living. 

This idea isn’t new.  In Spain, the Gestión de Servicios Residenciales S. Coop. manages health services for the elderly throughout the country. The workers and residents are the owners, protagonists and beneficiaries working towards a high quality of life, individualized care and making sure residents and families own their “Life Project” regardless of their competence.

With our aging population, the problems in long-term care homes must be solved now. We look forward to participating in the best long-term solutions for Ontario. When it is the ones we love facing a future in assisted living, it is imperative to have non-profit, co-operative options available that treat everyone with dignity.

The co-operative business model provides a solution to the current healthcare crisis. We want to help.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Contact Erin Morgan 1.888.745.5521 x 30 or at emorgan@ontario.coop.

ABOUT THE ONTARIO CO-OPERATIVE ASSOCIATION (OCA): Co-operatives are a different kind of business model that are driven by people, planet and profit. OCA supports, develops, educates and advocates for Ontario’s 1,500+ co-operative businesses. We exist to strengthen and unite the co-operative movement and we believe that co-operatives are the solution to creating stronger communities, which help to build a better world. Visit us at http://www.ontario.coop for more information.

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