Better with Age: Health systems planning for the

aging populationJennifer Major, PhD, Policy and Research Analyst May 11, 2011

CHSRFMandate:• Promote the use of evidence to strengthen the

delivery of health services that improve the health of Canadians

Improving healthcare for older adults

CHSRF’s Better with Age Roundtables

• Convened more than 200 policy-makers, healthcare executives and professionals, researchers and citizens

• Six roundtables in six weeks between October and November 2010– Calgary, Winnipeg, Ottawa (national), Halifax,

Toronto and Montreal

CHSRF’s Better with Age Roundtables: Objectives • Clarify the impact of population aging on

financial sustainability of medicare

• Better understand pressing policy and research issues

What we heard…• Policy change to ensure Canada’s healthcare system

meets the needs of older adults is overdue. o Older adults continue to wait in limbo in hospital beds for

more appropriate care

o Financial and administrative barriers impede system improvement

o Navigating between health and social services is complicated and costly for patients and caregivers

Caring for Older Adults

Key Policy Issues• An integrated system of care that enables:

o Coordinated transitions between a broad range of health and social services

o Better access to timely, appropriate careo Homecare and long-term care

o Increased flexibility of funding at the organizational level

• Create a shared vision of care for older adults with national leadership and collaboration among the federal, provincial and territorial governments

Key Policy Issues• Address social determinants of health and

advance prevention and health promotion

• Address needs for special populations (e.g. First Nations, immigrants)

• Develop a labour strategy to ensure appropriate health human resources

Getting to there from here?• Participants know reforms are needed, but were less

certain about how to achieve them– Need to support efforts to implement and evaluate

promising strategies for health quality improvement

• Need to engage the public in the discussion

Public consultation • Convened 15 Vancouver citizens– Patient advocates– Unpaid caregivers– Long-term care resident– Retired healthcare professionals

• Asked: How do you think healthcare can be improved for older adults?

What we heard…

• Overall themes mirrored those heard at the Better with Age roundtables

• Some issues were more prevalent in the citizen dialogue:– Affordability of non-publicly provided healthcare– Inadequate food and nutrition in healthcare

settings

Going forward • Policy briefs and Mythbusters articles

• Hosting a roundtable in the North

• Research and syntheses – Alternate Level of Care (ALC)– Increasing access to homecare and long-term care– Integrated approaches to chronic disease care – Public consultation

www.chsrf.cajennifer.major@chsrf.ca