Welcome to the 2021 Blog!
Covid 19_2020 : Meeting the Challenges of 2020
RECAA cancelled its scheduled in-person Forum workshops from March 15, 2020. The future was unpredictable: How long would we have to remain locked down? How to meet each other when we were told to isolate? How to integrate and train new members who had just begun working with us? How to share our knowledge and skills using iPads, smart phones, laptops? How to connect with each other and others who would need equipment, updated applications and internet to begin interacting? How would RECAA continue its activism against elder abuse?
We are sincerely grateful to all those who have helped us in 2020 and who continue to support us in this new year 2021 of the pandemic: Louise Buzit Beaulieu, Scott DeJong from ACT Aging Communications Technology, engAge-Living Lab, Eric Craven Atwater Library Digital Literacy & Computer Centre and Dina Cindric, Choir Directress. We also sincerely thank the RECAA Board members who encouraged us and worked with us throughout the first year of 2020 challenges: President Judy Jarvis, Vice President David Singleton, Secretary/ Treasurer Marguerite Kephart, Members at Large Iqubal Velji, Eric Craven and Kim Sawchuk.
With the full participation of RECAA's actor members - Aruna Mahajan, Enid Anderson, Judy Wong, Karen Budhia, Sajida Imam, Sadeqa Siddiqi, Louise Jack, Madhuram Nambiar, Marietta Lubelsky, Marguerite Kephart, Maria Elise Montejo, Nadia Cicurel, Maria Nicola Demichele Nicolas Van Schendel -
Our achievements online via ZOOM:
- Creating an on-lne forum workshop, adapting two of our theatre scenes, which was tested successfully by 5 community organizations.
- Meeting elders from diverse community groups that we had no occasion to meet in our in-person workshops before the pandemic.
- Singing together throughout the year inspite of the lockdown. "Songs that Connect Us" will be on the program for our post pandemic recital.
- Seeing each other at least once a week for our regular business and rehearsal meetings.
- Breaking our isolation by joining other Virtual groups for recreation, education and awareness raising.
- Connecting up with activism virtually and inperson over the exposed gross negligence of elders in Long Term Care facilities –the CHSLDS
Covid 19_2021: Cautious Optimism
Fulfilling our mandate to Raise Awareness of Elder Mistreatment
With the circulation of three vaccinations we hope that by September of this year we will again visit and give our Forum workshops in-person and in the community organizations who will be open for business !
Activism:
In 2021 we will not forget those whose cause was our activism in 2020: Elders who died in long term care facilities, their families who were locked out, the caregivers, essential workers -documented or undocumented- the guardian angels who suffered and died from Covid.
The Legault government has announced a reform policy for long term care. RECAA has committed this year's activism to a transformation of long term care . We will be critiquing and offering changes to the present institutional system of long term care for elders. We cannot go back!
In Memory of elders who suffered and died during the pandemic RECAA will act with advocates who have worked tirelessly to transform our long term care for elders at home and in our facilities !
Let’s unite with one voice and many actions.
Elders Rights = Human Rights