CILT’s Volunteer Vibes Volume 10, Issue 1 Fall 2008 Volunteer Program Update CILT is currently recruiting volunteers. If you know of anyone who would like to volunteer at CILT, have them call Nancy at 416-599-2458, extension 27. Please welcome Carling Barry as the newest staff member to CILT. Carling has been a volunteer for about a year and has recently been hired as the Peer Support Program Assistant. Volunteerism and the Voluntary Sector in Canada Every day, thousands of people voluntarily give their time and talent to organizations across Canada. They give their time freely and with no expectation of monetary reward. Their hours of service ensure that many activities are accomplished and many people are helped. They build houses for the homeless, care for the elderly, and provide counseling and support services. They are youth group leaders, program coordinators, coaches and fundraisers. They represent every walk of life – professional, homemaker, student, retiree – as well as every age and cultural group. Canadians volunteer for over 161,000 voluntary organizations in the areas as diverse as health care, social services, sport and recreation, faith communities, arts and culture, and education. Some of these voluntary organizations are large, structured organizations with staff and volunteers who work collaboratively. Some are smaller grassroots organizations or community groups that are run solely by volunteers or with very limited paid staff support. Volunteer Canada Volunteer Canada is a national organization engaged in the promotion of volunteerism across Canada. As a national leader, Volunteer Canada strives to ensure that volunteer efforts are promoted, recognized, supported and safeguarded. Volunteer Canada works in partnership with: * A network of close to 100 Volunteer Centres in communities across Canada, as well as a federation of almost 110 Volunteer Centres in Quebec; * A network of National Volunteer Involving Organizations that brings together volunteer development professionals working at the national level of Canadian charities, public institutions an non profit organizations. * Thirteen local networks and Host Organizations involved in the Canada Volunteerism Initiative and representing all provinces and territories across the country. * A membership base that represents the full spectrum of the voluntary, private and public sectors, including Managers of Volunteers, Volunteer Centres, Non profit agencies, Community Groups, Government departments, Corporations and individuals who are interested in volunteerism. By developing resources and national initiatives, Volunteer Canada actively engages in research, training and promotional campaigns to increase community participation and provide leadership on issues and trends in the Canadian Volunteer movement. The Canadian Code for Volunteer Involvement: History, Importance and Purpose The original Canadian Code for Volunteer Involvement was launched in December 2000 as a kickoff to the International Year of Volunteers (2001). The Code was targeted at Boards of Directors of voluntary organizations and intended to promote discussion about the role volunteers play in their organizations. Across Canada, many organizations worked to adopt and implement the Code into their work with volunteers, and in doing so, created a solid base for involving volunteers in their organizations. Building on this success, Volunteer Canada and CAVR recognize the importance of being at the forefront of information delivery and providing continual leadership to voluntary organizations. This revised Canadian Code for Volunteer Involvement enables organizations (like CILT) to enhance their existing practices and continue to ensure that solid foundations are in place for involving volunteers in their organizations. Federal Election 2008 As we move toward Election Day on October 14, 2008, as volunteers and leaders in volunteerism it is critical that politicians and candidates seeking election hear from you. You have the power to make change. We are asking for your help to approach the candidates for election in your riding. Volunteer Canada is asking each candidate in this election to sign our Pledge to Volunteers. Please take the time to bring this to the attention of candidates that you contact in your riding. They can access the pledge at www.volunteer.ca. Don’t forget to cast your vote! Disability Awareness Corner NOTICE FROM MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND LONG TERM CARE: Diabetes Strategy Today, about 900,000 Ontarians live with diabetes (8.8 per cent of the province’s population) and this number is expected to grow to 1.2 million by 2010. Diabetes and its complications, including heart disease, stroke, kidney disease and blindness cost the health-care system over $5 billion annually. Ontario is launching a new $741 million diabetes strategy that aims to prevent, manage and treat diabetes care across the province. This strategy builds on internationally accepted best practices and the recommendations of the Diabetes Management Expert Panel. This panel was established by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care in 2006 to provide advice on improving diabetes care in Ontario. Increasing Access to Team-Based Care: Two hundred and ninety million dollars is being invested in expanding current programs, aligning care and funding new programs. Ontario is increasing access to team-based care closer to home by mapping the prevalence of diabetes across the province and the location of current diabetes programs in order to align services and address service gaps. Depending on patients’ needs, the health care team could include a family physician, registered nurse, registered dietician and/or an endocrinologist. Diabetes Prevention: The diabetes strategy will invest $6 million in prevention programs, including education campaigns to raise awareness of risk factors that contribute to the onset of type ‘2’ diabetes, such as physical inactivity, poor nutrition and obesity. The campaigns will focus on high-risk populations, including Aboriginals, Hispanics, South Asians, Asians, African-Canadians, lower income families and people aged 50 and older. Diabetes Registry: A $150 million investment over the next four years, in a diabetes registry, is set to begin in Spring 2009. All Ontarians living with diabetes will be entered into an electronic registry that will provide people with diabetes instant access to electronic information and educational tools to help them manage their care. Physicians will be able to use the registry to check patient records, access diagnostic information and send patient alerts. The registry will result in faster diagnoses, treatment and improved management for Ontarians living with diabetes. The diabetes registry is the first step in Ontario’s e-Health Strategy that will provide all Ontarians with an electronic health record by 2015. Insulin Pump Therapy: In December 2006, the Ontario Government began a program that provides funding for insulin pump therapy to children and youth aged 18 and under who met the clinical criteria. Funding was then extended for those patients in the program turning 19 (while the Insulin Pump and Supplies for Adults Expert Panel, chaired by Dr. Bruce Perkins, assessed the clinical needs of adults with type 1 diabetes) for insulin pump therapy. As of September 2008, this $62 million investment will allow funding for insulin pumps and supplies to be extended to all adults with type 1 diabetes who meet the clinical criteria for funding under the Assistive Devices Program. Today, about 1700 children and youth benefit from the Ministry-funded insulin pump therapy, and in September 2008, over 1300 adults will receive funded insulin pumps every year. Approximately 30% of patients living with type ‘2’ diabetes rely on insulin. In the next 18-24 months, the Insulin Pump and Supplies for Adults Expert Panel will review medical literature and consider expanding the pump program to adults living with type ‘2’ adult diabetes. CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE SERVICES Kidney disease is one of the complications of diabetes that affects roughly 40% of Ontarians living with diabetes. Diabetes is the most common risk factor associated with kidney disease. As a result, Ontario will also be investing $220 million to expand its Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) Program. This will improve access to all the services available under the CKD program which strive to identify kidney disease as early as possible; prevent/delay kidney function deterioration as long as possible and manage end-stage kidney disease through renal replacement treatments. This will include increasing dialysis service capacity at CKD regional centres, dialysis satellites, long-term care homes and independent health facilities. Ontario will also work to increase the availability of home renal replacement therapies (hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis), both which can be done day or nighttime, so that patients who currently rely on dialysis treatment in hospitals and other health care facilities can experience less interruption in their daily lifestyle and receive treatment in the comfort of their own home. Bariatric Centres of Excellence: Obesity is one of the main risk factors associated with diabetes. More than 50 per cent of type 2 diabetes cases in Ontario are associated with obesity. The government is improving access to bariatric surgery – a procedure that modifies the gastrointestinal tract to reduce food intake. This $75 million initiative will increase Ontario’s capacity for bariatric surgery several-fold within two years and it will continue to increase thereafter. In 2006/07, 169 procedures were performed in Ontario and 485 patients were funded for surgery out of country. Ontario will enhance capacity for bariatric surgery in the province by: * Providing bariatric education and * Training to health care providers, * Expanding bariatric surgical capacity, and * Establishing pre and post bariatric surgery programs that will be linked to surgical programs. For more information, contact: Alan Findlay, Minister’s Office, 416-327-4320 Mark Nesbitt, Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, 416-314-6197 Andrew Campbell, Minister’s Office, 416-326-8500 Gary Wheeler, Ministry of Health Promotion, 416-326-4806 ontario.ca/health-news ontario.ca/health-promotion-news CILT News New Executive Direct for Centre for Independent Living in Toronto (CILT) Inc. The Board of Directors are pleased to announce the appointment of Ms. Sandra Carpenter to the position of Executive Director, Centre for Independent Living in Toronto (CILT) Inc. Sandra is well known within Toronto region’s Disability Community and its supporters including academics, and nationally within both the Independent Living and Consumer Movements. She directed CILT for a time in its very early days, and returned to CILT over seven years ago as Program Manager. Throughout the 90’s and the early 2000’s, CILT has operated primarily within the network of Independent Living Resource Centres and with the Canadian Association of Independent Living Centres. The net result is that we have remained close to our roots and consumer issues within Toronto and Ontario, providing resources for people with disabilities. Sandra is a person who can lead CILT to a new level of effective community engagement, working with health care, service provider and activist partners. We have every confidence that Sandra will continue to build on the relationships she has forged and develop new and effective partnerships as we move forward for the future. Please join us in welcoming Sandra to her new role.