Does Canada have enough money to fund senior care?

Will the cost of senior care in Canada one day break the bank? Probably not, contrary to common perceptions.

Four health policy experts, Dr. Robyn Tamblyn, Dr. Ivy Bourgeault , Dr. Neena Chappell and Dr Michel Grignon explain why money is not the biggest issue when talking about senior care in Canada — it’s about adapting the resources and services that are already available.

The health care system as created in the 1950s no longer represents the current demographics, explains Dr. Bourgeault. This is why Canada needs to shift from an acute-care type of system to one that encourages and finances more homecare and offers more resources to caregivers.

The four experts agree that Canada has the money, the resources and the work force to reshape, restructure and reorganize the health care system to better suit the needs of seniors. All that is missing is political will.

Experts interviewed in this audio podcast:

Dr. Ivy Bourgeault is a Professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Ottawa and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Chair in Health Human Resource Policy which is jointly funded by Health Canada.

Dr. Robyn Tamblyn is a Professor in the Department of Medicine and the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at McGill University.

Dr. Michel Grignon is an Associate Professor with the Departments of Economics and Health, Aging & Society at McMaster University, and Director of the Centre for Health Economics and Policy Analysis (CHEPA).

Neena L. Chappell, PhD, FRSC, holds a Canada Research Chair in Social Gerontology and is a Professor of Sociology at the University of Victoria.

Mélanie Meloche-Holubowski is a journalist intern at EvidenceNetwork.ca and a journalist with Radio-Canada.