The Health Council of Canada
releases a new report on home care in Canada
Toronto, ON (April 16, 2012) – Today, the Health Council of
Canada released Seniors in need,
caregivers in distress: What are the home care priorities for seniors in Canada?
The report provides the first cross Canada snapshot on the needs of home
care clients and their caregivers. The report looked at data from five
regions including Nova Scotia, Ontario, Manitoba, British Columbia and
Yukon and found that seniors who need home care the most are not getting
the level of care they need. One-third of seniors in the Health Council’s
sample have complex health needs, often involving both a physical
disability and cognitive impairment such as dementia, but these people
receive only a few more hours of home care services per week than what is
offered to seniors with moderate care needs.
This leaves the burden on the
shoulders of many family caregivers in Canada. Caring for a high-needs
senior with limited outside support may stretch family caregivers beyond
their capacity. Approximately 40-50% of seniors with the most complex
health needs have distressed caregivers, who report they are finding it
difficult to continue to provide care, and that they have feelings of
stress, anger, and depression.
A burned out caregiver cannot
help anyone if they end up in the hospital or become otherwise unable to
function. In fact many caregivers are seniors themselves, at risk of health
crises under stress. The report calls for a system that regularly assesses
the situations of seniors and their family caregivers and provides
support, whether it is additional hours of home care or faster placement a
loved one into a long-term facility.
“Home care has become an
integral part of the health care system, not something that happens
off-side in the community,” said Lyn McLeod, Councillor with the Health Council
of Canada. “Governments need to make home care a priority by developing
and implementing an integrated continuing care strategy. Jurisdictions can
adapt what is working by learning from innovative practices.”
The most successful programs
and policies bring together, home care, primary care and acute care under
one coordinating body. To do this, the report suggests a change in the
way funding is allocated. Canada currently spends considerably more on
long-term care facilities than home care. Among countries monitored by the
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Canada has
one of the larger gaps between spending on longterm care and home care, 0.96 %
of GDP for long-term care and 0.21% of GDP for home care.
The report also calls for
integration of home care across sectors and services as well as
the provision of support for family caregivers. As hospitals are the main
source of referrals to home care, when seniors leave the hospital, they
should experience a smooth transition from hospital to home care. And once
a senior is receiving home care, the family physician should be included
as part of the home care team.
“When home care is properly
valued and integrated into the health care system, it can improve the
health and well-being of many seniors and their families, and reduce costs to
the health care system,” said John G. Abbott, CEO of the Health Council of
Canada.
The report also addresses the
issue of the Alternate Level of Care (ALC) patients – people who don’t
need the acute care of a hospital, but still need some care. Often they are
awaiting placement in a long-term care institution or rehabilitation
facility. ALC patients use an average of 5,200 hospital beds every day, at
high cost to the health care system. Many of these people are seniors who
could be cared for at home if appropriate supports were in place.
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