A few months ago, I learned about a family member I didn’t know. Daniel, a cousin of my mother. It was during an extended family party.
He and I had talked quite a bit. From his work in the fruit and vegetable department in a grocery store in Montreal North. About his health concerns. From the impossibility of reducing his hours due to inflation and for fear of his boss’s reaction. From his fear of being evicted from his home at 62. Life trajectories that take shape from childhood.
Two weeks ago, I learned that he had been diagnosed with lung cancer with no chance of remission. Daniel left his accommodation overnight for the hospital. It was my uncle and a little cousin who emptied the apartment. Everything went to landfill.
The holidays are approaching and, with them, the time of year when we will be encouraged to check in on an elderly loved one or neighbor.
In the media, the production teams are also putting the final touches to the holiday season programming. For daily broadcasts, there are still a few holes to fill. The subject of our elders and their isolation will inevitably come up in the pile. A bit like during François Legault’s press briefings, during the pandemic. The Prime Minister regularly urged us to call our grandmother After have placed under house arrest all people born before 1950.
It’s easy to cast blame after the fact, but we are only just beginning to realize how much harm this measure caused. Depression, even suicide of residents in RPAs where tenants found themselves locked up and confined. A correlation that we speak of with caution. Not to mention the ageism that has gained ground. You would think that it would have caused the opposite, all these deaths in CHSLDs. An excess of empathy. But no. Several seniors tell me that they have gained in frustration what they have lost in self-esteem. A lady – or rather “a great lady” – explained to me that she now chooses her line at the grocery store based on the cashier. “I choose the one that will infantilize me the least. »
Increase in ageism
This anecdote is also corroborated by other similar anecdotes in a report which has just been put online by the federal government. “What we heard1 » is the result of a vast pan-Canadian consultation carried out last year on ageism and its effects on seniors in the workplace or access to health care in particular. More than two-thirds of respondents say they have seen an increase in ageism in Canada since the pandemic. We also talk about the digital divide which is only growing, further excluding a portion of seniors. Getting by in life with a landline as your only communication tool is now absurd. Talking on the phone is an anachronistic gesture.
I actually called Daniel earlier, after a day of teleworking at scroll alternately digital platforms. He looked happy. “I’m in a castle,” he rejoiced, speaking of his new room a few days ago in a palliative care home. “I can call Vincent and have hot dogs delivered if I want, I’m much better than at the hospital. »
—Who is one of your friends, Vincent?
— Hehe, no. It’s a restaurant not far from here. “Vincent submarines”, whatever it’s called.
— Do you think you will still be with us in January? I’ll come see you when I’m in Montreal. I’ll bring back some snacks if you want.
— I think so. You’re welcome.
It’s Kwismas. Dare to pick up the phone. I guarantee you’ll hang up the phone when you grow up.