Recent studies support our message to government. They recognize the sharp rise in seniors who will require care as a result of Canada's aging population. They also agree that we need to improve supports for the family caregivers who bear the brunt of home care for our health care system.
Most important, they urge immediate action to avoid an even deeper crisis than we anticipated!
Since many baby-boomers were childless, the reports tell us there will be even fewer family caregivers available for them as they reach their eighties in 2026. Though their number will decline slowly at first, it will then plummet quickly -- more seniors and fewer caregivers will only deepen the crisis!
One paper was published by Canada's C.D Howe Institute in 2016. After analyzing the fiscal and health care challenges Canada will face with an aging population, it recommends "continuing care insurance" to address the looming challenges. By purchasing insurance, Canadians would be assured the services and supports they need as they age.
Care insurance is an interesting idea, but Canadians would need to decide whether it would be run privately or publicly. A public insurance provider would return profits to the program, while a private one would return them to the shareholders underwriting it. Private insurance would make elder care into a business enterprise, while public insurance would make it part of national health care.
To access the reports, go to the links provided below:
AXIOS Report: The aging, childless future, by Steve Levine and Harry Stevens, Jul 21, 2018. Go to:
https://www.axios.com/the-aging-childless-future-21f9ae39-bf77-4777-8df2-64dc96e8277b.html
AARP Report: The Aging of the Baby Boom and the Growing Care Gap: A Look at Future Declines in the Availability of Family Caregivers, by Donald Redfoot, Lynn Feinberg, and Ari Houser, August 2012. Go to:
CD HOWE INSTITUTE Report: Shifting Towards Autonomy: A Continuing Care Model for Canada, by Åke Blomqvist and Colin Busby, January 2016. Go to:
https://cdhowe.org/sites/default/files/attachments/research_papers/mixed/Commentary_443.pdf
REMEMBER: As we wait for government to act, we must continue sharing this petition. Please consider writing to Minister Duclos, your MP and MPP, to express your concern. Here is suggested text:
Canada must prepare for ten million baby-boomers reaching their 80s by 2026. They will place overwhelming pressure on a health care system that relies on family caregivers for home care. I have signed a petition urging government to start preparing for this "senior tsunami", and it has collected over 30,000 signatures. Please visit the petition and do all you can to give this issue the public attention it deserves. Here's the link: https://www.change.org/LifelineForCaregivers