{"id":4102,"date":"2022-06-05T21:52:42","date_gmt":"2022-06-06T01:52:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thisiswilmot.ca\/?page_id=4102"},"modified":"2022-06-05T21:52:42","modified_gmt":"2022-06-06T01:52:42","slug":"we-need-more-family-doctors","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/thisiswilmot.ca\/?page_id=4102","title":{"rendered":"\u201cWe Need More Family Doctors\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bacon Scrapins<\/em><\/strong> are the little bits of meat left in the greasy fry pan. They\u2019re tasty, but the \u2018nutrition\u2019 needs searching for. This tale is a bacon scrapin<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Change is stimulating. Change is exciting. Change is how we fulfill our aspirations. Change is a life-force for positive growth. Balderdash!<\/p>\n

When my wife and I sold our previous home, changed towns, and bought a home in this \u20189-stop-sign\u2019 sized community, we were as excited as if we were newly-weds moving into our first place.<\/p>\n

In between \u2018sold and settled in\u2019, however, is a time of uncertainty and immense frustration. No, I\u2019m not talking about all the cardboard moving boxes that had to be cut up into sizes the recycle truck would take. Nor about the renovations in transitioning from the \u2018old place\u2019 to making \u2018our new home\u2019 compatible. Nope, it\u2019s worse.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re at that age when it\u2019s essential to have ready access to a family doctor. They are the \u201cgatekeepers\u201d to the entire medical system. You can\u2019t get in without a doctor\u2019s referral.<\/p>\n

Surprisingly, finding an optometrist was not hindered by Covid-19 restrictions. It was because the province and the optometrists were arguing over what their services were worth for \u2018old people\u2019, that is for those of us over 65. But, the optometrists showed \u201cgood will\u201d by continuing services during protracted negotiations with the government, so we\u2019re now \u201cin\u201d \u2013 for now – at a fine spot.<\/p>\n

A dentist was easiest. We found an excellent practice within 12 minutes\u2019 drive. The entire team is welcoming, chatty and full of enthusiastic bonhomie. In fact, we get along so well that after my first visit we agreed that I\u2019d schedule two more chances for us all to get together, and I could make two more payments on new cars for all of them.<\/p>\n

Finding a family doctor is harder than detecting a four-leafed clover in March. The provincial health \u201chelpline\u201d made me conclude that, 1) They\u2019ll help you find a family doctor \u2013 eventually, maybe. 2) You have to officially quit being a patient with your present doctor, who is now 2 hours away in good weather, before they\u2019ll start looking for one for you. 3) There\u2019s no guarantee you\u2019ll get a referral to a new doctor who is closer than 2 hours away. 4) There\u2019s a good chance you\u2019ll be dead anyway before you hear back from them.<\/p>\n

Naively my wife and I assumed that finding the right home in the right location was all we needed to do. We didn\u2019t even consider the fact that we were not only in competition with folks looking for a house, but also seeking a family doctor.<\/p>\n

My wife and I have raised the topic of our quest for a doctor with anyone we meet. We\u2019ve tried getting on waiting lists \u2013 that are \u2018closed\u2019 as they await more doctors to their practice. I\u2019ve gone online with Google, made lists of names, addresses and phone numbers. I\u2019ve listened to hours of doctors\u2019 automatic message machines.<\/p>\n

Now you\u2019re guessing ahead and expect me to now tell you that we found a doctor, right? This is a bacon scrapin\u2019, not a fairy tale. No satisfying ending here. No! Like hundreds of others, we still do not have a local family doctor.<\/p>\n

But, I\u2019ve got a \u2018process suggestion\u2019 for those who are responsible for medical care and housing policies in the province. Gather data where people are moving out of and into within the province. Track which areas are declining and which areas are increasing in populations \u2013 and at what rate. Plot the trends and make predictions.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s where housing and family doctors might come together. The provincial, regional and municipal governments could place a requirement that all new \u2018increased density\u2019 housing projects have space reserved for family practices to either rent or purchase the space outright. Governments could coordinate among developers in a region so that they \u2018share\u2019 the requirement to provide medical care among them as regulated by the government body. Thus, any increase in population in a region is matched by an increase in medical care \u2013 including new hospitals. I\u2019m guessing this idea will go on a \u2018waiting list\u2019 somewhere.<\/p>\n

I will tell you, though, how I handle that nagging concern at the back of my head that either of us will need a quick response from a family doctor, close by. I have found a stress reliever that puts me in total control of my \u2018issues\u2019. I have simply written a regular appointment, no waiting list, into my planner.<\/p>\n

My appointment \u2013 for medicinal purposes only – is at the L.C.B.O.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bacon Scrapins are the little bits of meat left in the greasy fry pan. They\u2019re tasty, but the \u2018nutrition\u2019 needs searching for. This tale is a bacon scrapin. Change is stimulating. Change is exciting. Change is how we fulfill our aspirations. Change is a life-force for positive growth. Balderdash! When […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":4072,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-4102","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thisiswilmot.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4102","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thisiswilmot.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thisiswilmot.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thisiswilmot.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thisiswilmot.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4102"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thisiswilmot.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4102\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4103,"href":"https:\/\/thisiswilmot.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4102\/revisions\/4103"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thisiswilmot.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4072"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thisiswilmot.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4102"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}