Home Health Canadians want government action to protect aging loved ones

Canadians want government action to protect aging loved ones

by John Muscedere
muscedere-canadians-want-government-action-to-protect-aging-loved-ones
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Aging-in-place, homecare, improved long-term care should be high priority election issues

Canadians are worried about their loved ones in their senior years – and for good reason.

The pandemic has hit our senior population hard.  Almost ninety-four per cent of all deaths from COVID-19 in Canada have occurred in seniors aged 60 and older (as of August 27, 2021).  The pandemic particularly devastated our most vulnerable seniors, with the majority of COVID-19 deaths taking place in long-term care facilities.

COVID-19 has been a wake-up call that we need to do senior care better in this country.

In fact, seniors’ health concerns should be a top priority among all parties vying for the leadership of the federal government this fall.  Yet, so far, we’ve seen very little discussion of substance addressing issues like aging in place, home care, improving long-term care and supporting healthy aging through public health.

It’s time our governments caught up to what our population knows and wants.

Over 90 per cent of Canadians believe it is important that Canada do a better job at helping people over 65 remain healthy and independent as they age, a new survey commissioned by the Canadian Frailty Network and conducted by Nanos Research has found.  A similar number (94 per cent) said they support or somewhat support having government programs where people over 65 living at home can access home-based healthcare support as long as it is required.

Frailty is a concern that strikes close to home.

The same survey found close to eight in 10 Canadians are concerned or somewhat concerned about a family member or friend over 65 becoming frail and many Canadians feel unprepared to deal with the situation.  Almost seven in 10 Canadians are now, have been or expect to be a caregiver for someone over 65 or make health decisions on their behalf.  And about four in 10 currently have a family member or friend over 65 they consider frail.

How we care for our seniors affects almost all of us, in other words.

Canada is also an aging society — and the issues around healthy aging will only increase over time.  How can we make sure our seniors — which may include ourselves sooner than we want to admit — lead a robust, active, independent and healthy life for as long as is possible?

Much of that depends on good government policy.

The survey found most Canadians want to live and age at home as long as possible and as long as it is safe, even if they are living with frailty.  Aging-in-place provides comfort and preserves independence, privacy and dignity.  It’s also good economics: reducing unnecessary usage of hospital and long-term care facilities saves big health care dollars.

So how can this be achieved?

The survey found Canadians overwhelmingly support government-funded programs to help people over 65 live independently at home; robust homecare programs; programs which encourage seniors to stay connected with their local community and be active with social, leisure and physical activities; and programs that enable healthy ageing.

Of course, we still need long-term care homes for our most frail and vulnerable.  But they should not be, as too many in the country are now, facilities that are under-staffed, under-regulated and motivated by profit rather than quality of life.  We have failed our seniors in long-term care.  It’s time for a complete overhaul of the long-term care sector, with stringent quality of care regulations and penalties for those who neglect our elders.

It would be easy for federal political parties to say (as they too often do), ‘health is a provincial concern.’ But the care of our seniors requires a multi-jurisdictional effort, and a non-siloed approach — and policies that put aging in place and homecare at the forefront of seniors’ health initiatives.

At the Canadian Frailty Network, we’d love to see an all-parties debate that tackles seniors’ care, that addresses the aging of our population and proposes robust policy solutions to improve the longevity and quality of life and care for our elders.

COVID-19 showed that we were not ready.  We failed our seniors.  But COVID-19 also showed us that we can be innovative, creative and pivot during challenging times.  Let’s bring that ingenuity to seniors’ care in Canada.

We’ve got an opportunity now to transform how we do senior care in this country.  Ask your political candidates how they plan to get us there.

See the full press-release here

Photo courtesy of iStock

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