Solving long hospital wait times requires a fundamental shift in the way we care for the elderly Hospital overcrowding is not a new issue. Limited bed spaces have plagued Ontario hospitals for years and are increasingly straining our system. Not only are long wait times become a shameful expectation when patients arrive in the emergency […]
Canadians are living longer than ever, and we are also taking more medications than ever before. And this can make us sicker, not healthier. A report released last week by the Canadian Institute for Health Information found that one in four seniors in Canada are taking 10 or more medications. That’s a total of 1.6 […]
Many people have been faced with having to make critical decisions for family and friends who were at the end of their lives. This can create a great deal of stress and burden as family members try to navigate the social and health care systems and succumb to their own impending loss and grief. A […]
Funding home care and long-term care is fast becoming the main challenge of our outdated medicare system — a system developed in the mid-twentieth century for a young population that mostly required acute care from hospitals and physicians.
We know that Canada’s population is aging. Among the many statistics that have been reported is how in 2015, the proportion of Canadian seniors surpassed that of youth under 15 for the first time. The gap will continue to widen over the next 20 years.
As the Canadian population continues to age, there is a need to revisit conventional thinking regarding the provision of health care services for seniors to ensure that the system is sustainable for all Canadians. There are a number of misperceptions in current thinking.
Will the cost of senior care in Canada one day break the bank? Probably not, contrary to common perceptions.
Most people hope to be able to age in their own home. But seniors and their families don’t always have that choice. Four health care policy experts, Dr. Ivy Bourgeault, Dr. Robyn Tamblyn, Dr. Neena Chappell and Dr. Michel Grignon, believe it is time to rethink the philosophy behind long term care in Canada.
Alex Migdal.
GuelphMercury.com
