An expert panel weighs in on Ageing in Place
In the weeks since I last posted on a personal plan for ageing in place, the government of Canada put out a report by an expert panel called Final Report of the Expert Panel, Supporting Canadians Aging at Home: Ensuring Quality of Life as We Age. As we age in place, it is a good idea to see what the experts expect the government to do.
On October 6,
2022, the Minister of Seniors and Minister of Health announced that the
National Seniors Council (the Council) would serve as the Expert Panel on
Supporting Canadians Aging at Home (the Expert Panel). The Expert Panel was
asked to examine measures, potentially including an aging at home benefit, that
could further support older persons in Canada to age at home.
The Expert Panel
believes that given national and international demographic trends, the 3 main
areas of focus should be:
•
financial benefits focusing on
low-income older persons (often women). See recommendations #1, #3 and #9
•
community-based support and
services. See recommendations #10 and #11
•
planning for aging, Retirement,
and life in later years. See recommendations #2 and #7
Strengthening
governance and accountability will be important complementary measures to
ensure quality of life as we age in Canada. This can be achieved by adopting
relevant legislation, regulations, standards, governance, and accountability.
See recommendations #16, #17, and #18.
These 20
recommendations for immediate action support the broader, long-term outcomes
pursued by the federal government. Implementing these recommendations will help
older persons to age at home and achieve and/or maintain their quality of life.
Aligned to the 5
domains of the Quality-of-Life Framework for Aging in Canada and to the 4
priority policy pillars (4As).
Prosperity (Priority
Pillars: Availability, Accessibility and Affordability)
1.
Introduce a new Age at Home Benefit
2.
Establish a public national insurance program for
home care and support
3.
Increase the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS)
4.
Expand, modify eligibility
criteria, and promote existing programs that
provide housing for older persons
5.
Convert the Canada Caregiver Credit
into a refundable tax-free benefit, allowing all caregivers to receive up to
$1,250 a year
Health (Priority Pillars:
Availability, Accessibility and Affordability)
6.
Develop a strategy for recruitment
and retention of human resources to support
aging at home
7.
Focus on disease prevention and health promotion
8.
Enhance palliative care at home
Society (Priority Pillars:
Availability, Accessibility and Affordability)
9.
Support Innovation with affordable housing
alternatives for older persons
10. Invest in new and
existing navigation and social prescribing initiatives
11.
Expand existing grants and
contributions programs to include longer-term funding options
12. Invest in
organizations that support caregivers
Environment (Priority
Pillars: Availability, Accessibility and Affordability)
13. Invest in
Technology and digital literacy and further invest in innovation in technology
14. Expand support
for Age-Friendly Communities
15. Invest in safe,
local public transportation services
Good
Governance (Priority Pillar: Accountability)
16. Enact legislation
on home care (within the Canada Health
Act or new legislation)
17. Enact legislation
on long-term care
18. Support the
development of national home care standards
19. Increase
prevention of mistreatment of older persons
20.
Actively engage in discussions at
the United Nations regarding the potential
development of a convention on the rights of older persons
Originally Published on https://boomersnotsenior.blogspot.com/
