Preparing for a Strong Future of Health Care

Developing a common provincial vision for the delivery of geriatric services and a plan to guide staffing and funding of care models is just some of the 166 recommendations in Ontario's new Seniors Strategy to provide better care to older Ontarians. The report entitled "Living Longer, Living Well" was delivered earlier this year by author Dr. Samir Sinha, MD'02.

The report is critical to our future health as a province. While today, 1.9 million seniors in Ontario make up 14.6 per cent of the province's population and account for nearly half of its current health care spending, the number is expected to double in the next 20 years. This will put considerable and increased strain on the health care system, which currently is not equipped to handle the upcoming demands.

Unquestionably, Dr. Sinha's personal, medical and educational experiences make him uniquely qualified to lead the charge on this important work.

Throughout his high school and university career, and with a wisdom beyond his years, the young Sinha pursued opportunities to work with and support vulnerable populations. Traveling in West Africa he had the chance to see the work of World Vision first hand, in Sengal.

For the first two summers during medical school, he lived with the First Nation's community of Wasagamack, volunteering at a nursing station running special classes on prenatal health and sex education and hosting a public health show at a local radio station. These experiences were life changing and ignited a desire to help others.

As medicine is the family business - both of Dr. Sinha's parents are physicians, as well as his brother and his great-grandfather - it seemed to follow the natural order that he would become a physician in order to make a difference in the lives of others.

After completing his undergraduate degrees at Queen's University and University of Manitoba, he turned to the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry. It was the School's unique approach to system-based learning, which was very innovative at the time, that captured his interest. This, combined with the incredible faculty and a wonderful sense of community, provided an experience that was nothing short of inspiring for the young medical student.

In his third year of medical school, Dr. Sinha was awarded a Rhodes Scholar and received the opportunity to study at Oxford University. It was there that he pursued a master's degree in medical history as well as a doctorate in sociology from University of Oxford's Institute of Ageing. It was while attending Oxford Dr. Sinha developed an interest in geriatrics.

Today, as the director of geriatrics at Mount Sinai and University Health Networks, he has the opportunity to do what he loves every day. "What I love most about practicing geriatrics is that it gives me permission to care for the whole patient, and often in partnership with an interprofessional team." And what's best is that there is no typical day for Dr. Sinha. From seeing patients and attending meetings to teaching young medical students, performing research and doing house calls, each day is full.

Dr. Sinha believes that "listening" is one of the most important skills that a physician and leader can have. Not only is it critical in developing collaborations, and understanding the opportunities and challenges of partnerships, it is the key to delivering excellence in patient care. "Everything that I have accomplished comes as a result of what I learn from listening to my patients and colleagues."

Listening was a critical part of the process in developing the Seniors Strategy. As he undertook the enormous task, Dr. Sinha and his team believed that "the best thing they could do was listen." It was only after meeting with 7,500 people across 19 communities in the province they could begin to pull the report together. To date, the plan has received positive reviews. Now the larger task of achieving the province's vision to be the healthiest place in North America to grow up and grow old begins as the recommendations begin to be reviewed and implemented.

To learn more about the approach to the report and read the recommendations, click here.