For most of our history as a species, the ways in which we have treated our aches, pains, illnesses, infections and diseases was remarkably crude and, in many cases, lacking in scientific understanding.
According to the document obtained by Canada’s National Observer through an access-to-information request, since late 2023, the federal government has invested more than $3.3 million to support Indigenous-led consultations across the country.
These suits simulate the effects of ageing using weights to limit mobility and braces to make it more difficult to move around, much like the effects of frailty. They also come with goggles that hinder vision as well as earmuffs or earplugs to simulate hearing loss.
Sure, we want to convey empathy, compassion and concern. We want to do the best by our seniors. But we have to be careful not to judge an individual on the basis of age when we age at different rates.
In research and medical treatment, patients often are expected to make major decisions under time constraints when they are already distraught. Knowing this, it is the responsibility of healthcare practitioners, and the medical system itself, to ensure patients are prepared to make these decisions.
Stephanie Chipeur complained to the Alberta Human Rights Tribunal after the Calgary diagnostics clinic refused to schedule her for an appointment in 2021 unless she had a caretaker also attend to lift her from her wheelchair onto an exam table.
In early June, Jessica Sergeant waited five and a half hours for a sign language interpreter to arrive at her Ottawa hospital room while she had a cardiac emergency.
