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A tribute to the pioneers of Concerned Friends
on its 25th anniversary
December 2005- At the 2005 annual general meeting, Concerned Friends celebrated its 25th anniversary with a tribute to the efforts and accomplishments of the pioneer advocates in the early days of the organization. The following is a history and some highlights, as presented by Freda Hannah and Lois Dent, to an appreciative audience at the meeting.
On September 7, 1980, a group of 15 concerned people met at the home of Betty Hatt in Toronto. A relative of Betty’s had been in a nursing home and Betty was appalled by the lack of care and concern and what ultimately happened to her relative. Determined to do something about it, she put a notice in The Globe and Mail asking others who were concerned about the care of residents in nursing homes to attend a meeting. And so Concerned Friends was born.
We don’t have a list of all those who attended that first
historic meeting, but we know that in addition to Betty, other key participants were Olive Mitchell and Grace Marsala, who volunteered to start a publicity committee, and Clifford and Barbara O’Brien, who volunteered to do research. As we read through the minutes and early newsletters, we were profoundly impressed by the determination, intelligence, and media savvy of this early group. The second meeting, a month later, was attended by Grace Feltham from the Registered Nurses Association, Anne Coy of Patient’s Rights, someone from the Mayor’s Task Force on the Disabled and Elderly, two reporters from The Globe and Mail, as well as the original group. From then on, monthly general meetings were held at Bedford Park United Church.
A number of high-level guest speakers were invited over the first several years. Not everyone accepted. In March 1984, David Peterson, then leader of the opposition, was invited to debate with Bob Rae, leader of the NDP, on issues of care in nursing homes. The invitation noted that an audience in excess of 300 concerned people, including some nursing home staff, were expected. Mr.Peterson declined to appear with Mr. Rae, suggesting Sheila Copps as a possible replacement.
Many other special guests did agree to speak, including Sheila Copps, who was liberal health critic, David Cooke, NDP health critic, and Keith Norton, who was minister of health for the conservative government at the time. As an aside, Freda described an incident when she happened to meet Mr. Norton recently at another meeting. She told him about discovering a presentation he had made to a Concerned Friends meeting in 1984. Mr.Norton laughed and said that he was very pleased to be included in our archives.
Concerned Friends also invited top officials from the Ontario Nursing Home Association, long-term care home administrators, and health care professionals to speak at their meetings. Larry Grossman spoke at a June 1983 general meeting, Laura Sabia at a 1985 meeting, Ian Scott, attorney general at the time, spoke at the 1987 annual general meeting, and Howard Hampton spoke at the annual meeting in 1991, when he was attorney general.
The first slate of officers of the organization was elected in December 1980, with Betty Hatt as president and Grace Feltham as vice-president. A major goal established by the group in that first year was to research and understand the Nursing Home Act, which they recognized as key to making positive change. The first newsletter came out in June 1981 (we think, it was not dated). In September 1981, the official name, Concerned Friends of Ontario Citizens in Care Facilities, was decided upon. The organization was incorporated as a registered charitable organization in 1982. In those days the board members wrote hard-hitting and well-researched briefs and letters. As an example, Freda read a letter written by one of the early advocates to an editor of The Toronto Sun (Barbara Amiel), responding to an article that described a nursing home in glowing terms, comparing it to a posh hotel. The humorous, but critical, letter left little doubt about the problematic conditions in that nursing home! Gay Thomson, a current board member, added an amusing story about working at Providence Villa as a social worker in the early 1980s, when a visit from Concerned Friends often evoked fear and anxiety among the staff.
In 1983 Concerned Friends successfully pushed for the annual inspection reports to be made public, and for the establishment of the first legal aid centre in Ontario for elderly people, the Advocacy Centre for the Elderly. We also supported the establishment of the Ontario Association of Residents’ Councils. Another major accomplishment was the inclusion of the Residents’ Bill of Rights in the amended Nursing Home Act in 1987. The organization began an ongoing communication with the Ministry of Health Inspection Branch, which we continue to this day with our quarterly meetings and other consultations.
During these years, Concerned Friends was involved in other issues of importance to seniors, as there were not as many seniors’ advocacy groups as there are now. For example, they wrote letters to federal ministers, including former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, to advocate for the continuation of a federal program affecting the rights of disabled people.
In 1990, thanks at least in part to pressure from Concerned Friends, the government made it mandatory for Nursing Homes to file their financial statements with the Ministry of Health. In 1991 we published the first Report Card on Nursing Homes. At our annual general meeting in 1997, the idea of Family Councils was launched.
The following year, in partnership with the Self-Help Resource Centre, we successfully applied for funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation for a three-year pilot project to develop family councils in long-term care homes in the Toronto area. This funding was extended for a second three-year phase in 2001 to continue the development of family councils across Ontario. And now the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care funds the family council program to continue its work to develop and sustain family councils and family council networks throughout the province.
As the tribute speech ended, commemorative mugs and flowers (courtesy of Phyllis Hymmen and Gay Thomson) were presented to special guests, and commemorative mugs were available for all those who attended this special anniversary meeting. Everyone present was also invited to celebrate with anniversary cake and beverages.
After the refreshments, the play I’m Still Here was performed by members of Act II Studio, Ryerson University, an accredited theatre school for adults aged 50 and over. This touching drama tells the true stories of people living with dementia, drawing on more than 10 years of research into the complexities of this disease. That the poignant performance touched the audience profoundly was evident by the comments and questions in the discussion that followed the performance. There is no doubt that this play was a fitting conclusion to a very special occasion. |
