Study Home Care Needed For Growing Senior Population
Over the next 20 years, the senior population is expected to grow at an unprecedented rate.
The Canadian Institute for Health Information is compiling information on how seniors get put in long term care.
Institute Vice President Georgina MacDonald says keeping seniors in the community longer is needed.
As heard on AM800's The Afternoon News, MacDonald says there is a need to better understand how resources are currently used.
MacDonald says the study shows the time to make changes is now.
"What this study does is actually points to an opportunity to improve the match between the care needs and care settings," says MacDonald.
She says most health care providers are already trying to get ahead of the next wave of seniors.
"There could be opportunities for optimizing home care," says MacDonald. "Really trying to stretch the bounds of what we can do in the home. What we're seeing is a lot of jurisdictions exploring this and really trying to connect it in with primary care to provide the best care possible to keep seniors independently at home."
MacDonald says the influx of seniors in the health care system will grow at the same rate as the last 20 years — in the next nine years.
— with files from Patty Handysides