Support Better Aging and Older Adult Care

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The COVID-19 pandemic revealed longstanding shortcomings in the way Canada supports and provides care for older adults.

After decades of chronic underfunding and understaffing, long-term care organizations across the country were too often unprepared1 for a crisis of this magnitude, which left residents and staff vulnerable to COVID-19 and its impacts.

The pandemic also underscored the critical role caregivers play in providing care to older adults. Spouses, children, friends, and neighbours often act as essential partners in care where services are inadequate, inaccessible, or out of reach – geographically and financially.

Canadian seniors are increasingly fearful that they will not have the supports they need to live a dignified life independently, or in a care setting. All levels of government owe it to our older adult population to shore up resources to meet the challenges of Canada’s growing and aging population.

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What actions can Canada take to support better aging and older adult care?
Why must Canada support better aging and older adult care?
HealthCareCAN actions to support better aging and older adult care

What actions can Canada take to support better aging and older adult care?

  • Create communities that allow adults to age in place and address the social determinants of health, such as housing, transportation, and nutrition, that affect healthy aging.
  • Develop a national approach to support better aging and improve health and social services for older Canadians, backed by substantial investments to meet the current and future needs of Canada’s aging population.
    • A dedicated federal transfer to improve long-term care and home care supports for aging in place.
    • Implement federal legislation and standards specific to the long-term care sector.
    • Shift to providing more home and community care.
    • Increase staffing and improve working conditions in long-term care and home care organizations.
    • Increase funding in research and innovation related to aging to deliver concrete improvements in older adult care.
  • Provide better financial and social supports for unpaid caregivers.

Why must Canada support better aging and older adult care?

Life expectancy in Canada is rising, and people across Canada can expect to live longer, better lives, but with that longevity comes increased chance of developing chronic health issues, many of which require more complex health and social services. Many older adults want to age at home, in their communities, but Canada’s infrastructure is not set up to meet their needs and accommodate them as they age.

Furthermore, unpaid caregivers, who often act as essential partners in care where services are inadequate, inaccessible, or out of reach, are saving the health system an estimated $9 billion a year and personally incurring an estimated $33 billion in direct and indirect costs2 – such as out-of-pocket expenses, lost productivity3, and forgone vacation time – annually.

There must be fundamental transformation to reimagine older adult care in this country and better support Canada’s caregivers.

Creating communities that allow adults to age in place will:

  • Allow older adults to live a more independent, active, and dignified life.
  • Address the social determinants of health that affect healthy aging.
  • Combat loneliness among older adults.
  • Fill gaps that exist between home and long-term care.
  • Decrease demand on acute care resources.

% of Canadians aged 65+ who say they will do everything possible to avoid a stay in LTC

94percent

Source: Ipsos. 2020. Safer at home: Eight in ten Canadians vow to do all they can to avoid going into long-term care.

Developing a national approach to better aging and older adult care will:

  • Improve health and social services for older Canadians.
  • Help Canada keep up with the demand for long-term care, home care, and the social services needed to support aging in place.
  • Help build a system that reflects current data and research on the best practices for providing care and that incorporates the needs of residents and caregivers.
  • Improve access and delivery of high-quality long-term care regardless of where in the country a person lives.
  • Increase staffing and improve working conditions for the long-term and home care workforce.
  • Enable further research and innovation to enhance the lives of Canada’s older adults.

Number of patients with demand for long-term care and home care (click image to expand)

Deloitte_LTC-HC_Demand

Source: Deloitte. 2021. Canada’s elder care crisis: Addressing the doubling demand.

Providing better financial and social supports for unpaid caregivers will:

  • Help recognize unpaid caregivers’ role as essential partners in care.
  • Offset the direct and indirect costs incurred by unpaid caregivers while carrying out caregiving duties.
  • Help address the physical and emotional toll of caregiving duties.

The financial and career impacts to unpaid caregivers (click image to expand)

Caregivers

Source: Canadian Caregiver Coalition. 2015. Care & work: A balancing act.

HealthCareCAN actions to support better aging and older adult care

Recent and related letters, statements, media appearances, and press releases
Recent and related government submissions and policy documents

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