New Alberta seniors minister appointed in cabinet shuffle

Dave Quest is Alberta’s new associate minister of seniors.

Quest, aged 50, was named to the position by Premier Alison Redford in a December 6 cabinet reshuffle.

He was elected MLA for Strathcona-Sherwood Park in the 2008 general election and again in 2012. This is his first ministerial appointment.

Quest succeeds George VanderBurg as associate minister of seniors. VanderBurg had been in the post since May 2012, having previously been minister of seniors until the seniors department was abolished at that time. His new job is as government whip in the legislature.

The associate minister of seniors reports to the minister of health, and is mandated to assist the minister to carry out health responsibilities related to seniors.

The associate minister also leads the health ministry's programs and initiatives related to seniors. These include the seniors advocate; seniors housing; seniors property tax deferral program; elder abuse strategy; and $500 seniors activity tax credit.

Before becoming an MLA Quest was president of Kallal Pontiac in Tofield, and then general sales manager and a minority shareholder of Beaverhill GMC in Tofield and Petersen Pontiac in Sherwood Park.

He graduated from NAIT in 1985 with a business administration diploma with a major in marketing management. He then served with the Better Business Bureau of Northern Alberta for 10 years in various roles, including director, chair and director of the Canadian Council.

As an MLA, Quest has been involved in numerous committees and other public bodies. Most recently these include the standing committee on families and communities, the legislative review committee, the standing committee on public accounts, special standing committee on members´ services.

In addition, he is the Alberta government´s representative on the board of directors of the Ports-to-Plains Alliance, the Council of State Governments-WEST and Northlands.

He has also carried Bill 12, Body Armour Control Act, 2010; Bill 46, the Gunshot and Stab Wound Mandatory Disclosure Act, 2009; and Bill 60, the Health Professions Amendment Act, 2009; and most recently Bill 201, Scrap Metal Dealers and Recyclers Identification Act, through the legislative process.

Quest lives in Sherwood Park with has wife Fiona and son Jack. Sports are a major interest and he has a private pilot’s licence.

FOIP order is part of struggle for access to parents

Earlier this year Shauna McHarg enjoyed a victory in what has been a long struggle.

The Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner ordered Covenant Health to disclose information about why her visiting privileges had been restricted and she had been banned from their premises.

McHarg’s mother Helen, who has advanced Alzheimer’s disease, and father Ron are residents on separate wards at the Edmonton General Continuing Care Centre.

The McHargs have been residents at the General since early 2010, after a period at Alberta Hospital.

In the weeks following their arrival Covenant Health imposed visitation conditions on the family, but during in April 2010 and October 2011 more restrictive conditions were placed on Shauna alone.

“I am allowed to see my mom for one hour, from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m., Monday to Friday,” McHarg said in an interview.

She has been banned on occasion from visiting her mother and father for supposedly “breaching the security and safety of the residents.”

A further ban came in March 2012, according to McHarg, when seniors health vice-president Al Pierog told her she was permanently forbidden from visiting friends she’d made among the residents, including the late Beverley Munro, who had been vocal about her own complaints against the facility.

She was informed that she would be charged with trespassing and permanently barred from visiting her mother and father if found meeting with them on Edmonton General property.

In response, McHarg began a long and complicated effort to gain more access to her parents. She dealt initially with Covenant Health management figures, who upheld the restrictions against her, but would not tell what they were based on, citing privacy concerns.

She later sought help from the health minister, the Alberta ombudsman, the Health Quality Council of Alberta and the Alberta Health Services patient concerns officer, without any action forthcoming. Ruth Adria of the Elder Advocates of Alberta provided assistance.

In April 2011, McHarg made a Freedom of Information and Privacy (FOIP) request for her personal information from Covenant Health to find out why she was being banned from its premises and having restrictions imposed on her visiting privileges.

“I should be able to find out why I was banned and why do I have restrictions,” she said. “It’s very important for the decision to be justified.”

Covenant Health provided some documents in response to the request, but withheld other information.

Following an appeal by McHarg, an adjudicator with the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner ordered Covenant Health to provide further information to her. The decision was announced in an October 25 release.

At the end of November, she was informed that a similar decision had been reached in a FOIP request to Alberta Health Services for information it has on the matter.

Meanwhile, however, Covenant Health is disputing the adjudicator’s decision and applied for a judicial review by the Court of Queen’s Bench, which is scheduled for February 27-28.

“My goal is to see my parents,” said McHarg. “Despite following the process I’ve been told to follow and spending three years doing it, there’s no solution. It doesn’t seem like Covenant Health is very accountable to anyone.”

Government of Canada provides caregiving info online

A new online source of seniors’ caregiving information has been launched by the Government of Canada.

Alice Wong, minister of state (seniors), today announced today the launch of the caregivers portal on seniors.gc.ca, a government website functioning as a central source of information for seniors, their families and caregivers.

The new Information for Caregivers portal provides an interactive map of Canada directing users to federal, provincial and some municipal resources on financial information, care options, powers of attorney, health, mental health and dementia.

“The Government of Canada is committed to helping seniors quickly access information about programs and services they need and use in their communities,” said Wong. "That is why today we are launching the new Information for Caregivers portal on seniors.gc.ca.”

"CARP members will welcome the new Information for Caregivers portal,” said Susan Eng, the organization’s vice-president for advocacy. “It will help families navigate the complex array of government programs and services at all levels. It is comprehensive and user-friendly, which will come as a great relief to people who are often running from pillar to post to get the help they need for themselves or their loved ones."

The website also provides information on government initiatives such as the New Horizons for Seniors Program -- which supports projects led or inspired by seniors who want to make a difference in the lives of others and in their communities -- and measures to increase awareness of elder abuse are also included on the site.

For more information go to seniors.gc.ca. 

HelpAge International aiding older typhoon victims

HelpAge International is appealing for funds to help older people affected by a typhoon that that caused massive devastation in the Philippines.

More than 4,000 are dead and an estimated 9.5 million people – perhaps 11 million – have felt the impact of Typhoon Haiyan, which ripped through the nation on November 10.

“There is debris and garbage everywhere. Older people and young children are left on their own, wandering the streets. They look frail and sick," an emergency worker reported to HelpAge,

It’s estimated that at least 1.3 million of those affected are more than 50 years old.

According to the organization, during such emergencies older people are particularly vulnerable -- they are less able to flee, and cannot carry their possessions or stand in line for hours waiting for aid parcels.

It is working with the Coalition of Services of the Elderly (COSE), its affiliate in the Philippines, to ensure that older people are included in the relief effort. They are asked what they need and aid packages designed especially for them are delivered.

“The damage caused by the winds and tidal surge of Typhoon Haiyan is truly devastating,” said HelpAge CEO Toby Porter in an online post. “Comparisons to the damage caused by the 2004 Tsunami in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, are not overdone.

“It's a very natural thing to imagine yourself in a flood or a hurricane, and think that somehow you would always be able to keep yourself and your family safe, but events like this remind us that there are some events where this is simply not the case.”

To make a donation in support of HelpAge International’s efforts to aid older people affected by Typhoon Haiyan go to www.helpage.org.

Canada matching donations

Canadians who want to support Philippines relief efforts more generally can donate to campaigns organized by registered charities such as the Canadian Red Cross.

The Government of Canada will match the donations of individual Canadians until December 23. Those funds will go into a relief fund that is separate from the Canadian Red Cross and will be administered by the Government of Canada. Funds raised through this program will support on-going humanitarian assistance in communities affected by the typhoon.

Financial donations to the Red Cross can be made online at www.redcross.ca, at their local office or by calling 1-800-418-1111. Donations should be earmarked “Typhoon Haiyan.” 

NAIT student clinic looking for 200 new denture patients

A NAIT Denturist Technology student works with a patient in the dental lab at Main Campus in Edmonton.

NAIT’s Denturist Technology program is looking for 200 new denture patients.

According to a September 12 statement from NAIT, these patients will receive dentures for roughly one-third of what it would cost elsewhere for the same procedures, while helping second-year students gain hands-on experience.

It’s recommended that dentures be examined yearly, and in most cases replaced every five years.

“Patient participation is essential for this program to run,” said Trena Perrin, an educational lab technologist in NAIT’s School of Health Sciences. “All the work is done in a real clinic setting at NAIT under the supervision of registered denturists.”

 Patients will be seen by the same student denturist throughout the process, until their dentures are complete. Follow-up visits can also be made as required as required. 

 “Patients receive courteous, professional and economical service, while getting complete and partial dentures,” said Perrin. “Our students, meanwhile, get real-world experience which helps them prepare for meaningful careers.”

NAIT’s denturist technology program is one of only four denturist programs in Canada, and attracts students from across the country.

The full-time, three-year program is designed to provide students with the theoretical, technical and clinical experiences required to assess, diagnose, design, fabricate and insert both complete and partial removable dentures. 

The school states that more than 96 per cent of graduates find work within a year of completing the program.

Denture patients interested in participating in the program can contact the NAIT dental clinic at 780-471-7786.

Telus warns of international lottery scam

Telus is warning Canadians about a surge in a common international lottery scam being sent via letter mail to residents of British Columbia, Alberta and Manitoba, falsely claiming an association with TELUS and Koodo. 
In a public service announcement issued July 6 Telus urges customers not to send funds or give out personal information in responses to the letters.
An example of an "advance fee scheme," the scam involves letters that claim to be from an organization titled The National Lottery (in conjunction with Koodo Mobile and Telus Corporation). The letter states that the recipient has won a $51,950 cash prize in the World International Consumers and telephone users sweepstakes held in the United Kingdom on July 28.
The recipient is asked to make a bank deposit to cover taxes and processing fees and includes a cheque to cover the costs. However, that cheque is forged and will bounce, while any money deposited will be lost.
Telus states that these letters are fraudulent, and are in no way related to it or other companies the scam artists claim to be associated with. It's recommended recipients "simply throw the letters in the recycling bin."
The RCMP Anti Fraud department and Canada Post are aware of this scam. Canada Post is evaluating and they will work toward preventing these letters from entering the Canadian mail system.