Government

A recent report entitled ‘Seniors in Need, Caregivers in Distress’, from The Health Council of Canada (HCC) on homecare and caregiver support in Canada addresses the importance of upgrades to Canada’s system of health care. 

The new norm in Canada of seniors working past the standard retirement age of 65 is stemming from both the desire to stay active and also from the need to maintain a standard of living.

City Lights takes a look at how the BC Health Care System works when assisting the elderly through the different phases of living and retirement, and what your options are once you are at a point in your life when you feel that you need to living in a care facility.

In the early 1950s the life expectancy of the average man was 66 and the average woman was 71. The number of Canadians qualifying to receive a government pension at that time was small as they had to have minimal income from all sources and as a result the cost to government of paying out pensions was small. The scales continued to tip in favor of government even when in 1966 under the leadership of Prime Minister Lester Pearson the CPP was introduced; Canadians that could be expecting to draw from CPP (Canada Pension Plan) and OAS (Old Age Security Pension) were relatively few.

Residential Care costs in British Columbia for publicly-funded institutions are split between the province and clients. The policy that regulates residential care was established in the late 1970s, and since then the clients have been assessed a co-payment fee that varies based on their income. The fee covers room and board, such as meals and housekeeping.

The Seniors' Rental Housing initiative is part of the Canada-BC Affordable Housing Initiative agreement. This new $123 million initiative, jointly funded by the Province of British Columbia and the Government of Canada, will be delivered through an amendment to this agreement, signed April 8, 2009. The Province is matching the federal government's contribution of $61.79 million to develop up to 1,000 new affordable housing units for seniors and persons with disabilities and creating close to 800 jobs.

Abbeyfield - is a type of shared supportive housing based on a model developed in Great Britain, that has been adapted in British Columbia and other parts of Canada. Usually residents have a private room, perhaps their own bathroom, but other living spaces are shared with 10 to 12 other residents. A housekeeper usually provides meals, cleaning and other support. The term group home is also used to describe this type of residence.

Aging in place - refers to older people who remain living in the community and the dwelling they consider home despite changing health. The term encompasses safety and accessibility of the pedestrian and built environments as well as access to community amenities and necessary support and health services. Since different people make different choices, a community that encourages aging in place will offer a variety of housing options and services to its citizens.

Canada has a complicated structure that supports the planning, funding and delivery of home care services across Canada. There is no central body of government that regulates home care, and in 12 of 13 provinces and territories, home care services fall under the jurisdiction of the Ministries of Health.