Bracing for the grey wave
Official confirmation of a long-predicted tipping point came this week with Statistics Canada confirming that this country’s seniors now outnumber its children. The announcement managed the tricky feat of being both expected and a revelation.
According to one headline, the country is “fading to grey” – but it’s been heading that way for decades. What’s different now is that Canada has certifiably joined the family of industrialized nations that have more grandparents than grandkids.
As of Canada Day this year, 16.1 per cent of us were 65 or older. At the same time, those under the age of 15 made up just 16 per cent of the population.
By itself, this is no cause for panic. But time — and demographics — don’t stand still. Statistics Canada projects that by 2024 ( just nine years away) more than one in five Canadians will be a senior citizen.
This trend carries massive implications, especially for Canada’s already over-stretched health-care system. It’s especially worrisome that the growing needs of an aging population are being so poorly satisfied now.
More than 460,000 Canadians reported their need for home care was going entirely unmet, according to a study last fall. That’s almost half a million aged and ailing people going utterly without. Another 330,000 said they were receiving some assistance, but not as much as they needed. The research, from Statistics Canada, specifically excluded people in institutions or long-term care.
The Canadian Institute for Health Information has ranked this country last among 11 comparable nations in providing older patients with access to medical care. Most Canadians over 55 must wait at least two days to see a family doctor or nurse, and delays to visit a specialist are longer than elsewhere, too.
It’s not that Canada isn’t spending enough; more money goes to health care here, per capita, than in most countries. But we’re spending on the wrong things. In an effort to change that, the Canadian Medical Association is calling for a national strategy to deal with the pressing needs of the country’s seniors.
A major investment in home care is essential, along with more streamlined and efficient service delivery. Most elderly people would rather be at home than in a hospital bed or long-term care facility. And it would save the system money. But they need support to maintain their independence — and too many fail to receive it.
Existing health care services for seniors need to be better cocoordinated. It’s vital to have more geriatric specialists and community health centres. Nurse practitioners should be better used. There needs to be more access to palliative care. And hard-pressed families struggling to care for an aged relative deserve relief.
Finally, to inject energetic new blood into an aging population, it’s important to maintain the flow of immigrants coming to this country. According to Statistics Canada, international migration represented 61 per cent of the nation’s population growth in the past year. Births accounted for just 39 per cent. And immigrants tend to be younger than the general population.
All the major parties vying for power in the current federal election have made promises touching on these issues. Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau pledged last week to spend billions more on health care, with his first priority being “a modern home-care strategy” for Canadians. And the NDP’s Thomas Mulcair says his party would spend $1.8 billion over four years to provide home care for 41,000 seniors.
Promises to fix the health-care system are a staple of Canadian politics. What’s essential now, as the country faces a rising tide of grey, is a government that will actually deliver change.
Existing health care services for seniors need to be better co-coordinated. It’s vital to have more geriatric specialists and community health centres