Our population is aging, and our health care system is falling behind.
It shouldn’t take a pandemic
to make seniors care a priority.
The COVID-19 pandemic has made clear what was already apparent: that our health care system has been failing both our seniors and those who work tirelessly to care for them.
In the past months, we’ve seen the disastrous impact an inadequate long-term care system can have. It’s time we learn from these failings and provide a better system of care for our seniors.
Our health care system must adapt and evolve to meet the increasingly complex needs of today’s seniors. We must act on what we’ve learned through the devastation of this pandemic and make the significant investment in tools for care that our seniors critically need. And deserve.
The respectful and dignified treatment of our elders is a part of our national identity, and we need our governments to honour that by working together to improve access to care for all seniors, throughout Canada. If you agree, send a letter to your MP today!
Key Stats
The population of seniors over the age of 65 in Canada has increased by 20% since 2011. (Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2018)
Seniors are expected to make up more than one-third of the population in some provinces by 2056. (Deloitte, 2020).
What can our federal government do?
• It can commit to implementing a new demographic-based top-up to the Canada Health Transfer based on the proportion of older persons in a province or territory. This would alleviate fiscal pressures, free up hospital beds, build better community care models and ensure all seniors get the best care possible.
• It can implement a Seniors Care Benefit Program, to directly support seniors and those who care for them and alleviate ballooning out-of-pocket expenses for health care.
• Work with the provinces and territories on long-term care standards, recognizing that it is not just about facilities. Governments across the country need to collaborate on a national approach to improving long-term care that includes targeted funding for more humane and safer care options for our elder population. We must also see long-term care as an important piece of a continuum that emphasizes aging in place.
What can you do?
• Send a letter to your Member of Parliament to let them know that a better approach to seniors care is a priority for you. Use our letter writing tool below to easily email your MP today!
Help improve health care for Canada’s seniors. Email your local representatives today!
If caring for our older population is important to you, send a letter to your provincial or territorial government and your Member of Parliament advocating for the rolling out of emergency measures to protect long-term care residents and implementation of a demographic-based top-up to the CHT and a Seniors Care Benefit Program OR click on the second tab to use our letter writing tool to share, in your own words, your experience accessing health care services as a senior or caregiver. Your story is your most powerful advocacy tool; we encourage you to use it.
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