COVID-19 Highlights Need for National Seniors Strategy
On the 10th anniversary of National Seniors Day, the National Institute on Ageing (NIA) is marking the occasion with the release of the renewed National Seniors Strategy (NSS), an evidenced based blueprint for federal leadership and policy recommendations for coordinated action to address the needs of an ageing population - especially in light the effects of COVID-19 on the older population.
“Older Canadians were not spared the effects of COVID-19, in fact Canada's older population fared notably worse,” said Dr. Samir Sinha, director of health policy research at the NIA. “Over 80% of all COVID-19 deaths in Canada occurred amongst older Canadians in nursing and retirement home settings, compared to an OECD average of 42%, and despite Canada having a total COVID-19 mortality rate comparatively lower than other OECD countries.”
The issues facing older Canadians are deep rooted and were here long before COVID-19. The NSS builds on the previous strategy released in 2015, and the collaborative work of many experts. It identifies 14 key policy challenges that Canada needs to confront in order to deliver cost-effective, high quality care, financial security, and social well-being to older adults. These policy challenges fall under four pillars:
1. Independent, productive & engaged citizens
2. Healthy active lives
3. Care closer to home
4. Support for caregivers.
The strategy examines the sustainability and ability of health care systems, social services, and the retirement income system to meet the needs of Canadians as they age. It also makes evidence-informed policy recommendations for each key challenge and identifies potential enablers to improve the system of care for older Canadians.
The year 2015 marked the first time Canadians aged 65 and over started to outnumber children under the age of 15. This demographic shift in Canada prompted the publication of the first version of the National Seniors Strategy (NSS 2015), recognizing that Canada’s policy response to an ageing population was lagging behind real, historically unprecedented changes in the make-up of our national population. Older Canadians now represent Canada’s fastest growing demographic. In 2019, approximately 1 in 6 Canadians were over 65 years of age. By 2035, one in four Canadians will be over 65 years of age.
As in 2015, this demographic shift still presents both challenges and opportunities to improve the social, financial, and health policy landscape for older Canadians. While Canadians 65 and older account for approximately 17.5% of the population today, they represent almost 44% of all public-sector health care dollars spent by provinces and territories. With the population ageing faster than ever before, health care, social services, and economic systems must be continuously reviewed to ensure that they can remain sustainable and continue to meet the needs of all Canadians as they age.
Meeting the growing and evolving needs of our ageing population will require concerted coordination and effort between municipalities, provinces, with the federal government playing a key leadership role on this issue of significant national importance. Historically, the federal government has played a key role as a standard-setter, catalyst, and funder of important social change in areas like the delivery of health care and the Canada Pension Plan. The federal government can continue to enable the meaningful change needed to meet the needs of ageing Canadians.
The way we approach our coming of age will also require coordination and mobilization across government departments as well as between the private and public sectors. Indeed, many are now seeing the need for an integrated approach where the federal government can help keep us all moving in the right direction. A commitment to a National Seniors Strategy would provide the focus needed to ensure Canada can become the best country in the world in which to grow up and grow old.
We encourage you to endorse the document and join the call for a National Seniors Strategy at: http://nationalseniorsstrategy.ca/
The National Institute on Ageing is a Ryerson University think tank focused on the realities of Canada’s ageing population. We are Canada’s only think tank dedicated to policy solutions at the intersections of healthcare, financial security, and social well-being. Through our work, our mission is to enhance successful ageing across the life course and to make Canada the best place grow up and grow old.
By Arianne Persaud, Communications and Public Affairs Manager, National Institute on Ageing | Email: arianne.persaud@ryerson.ca. Follow us on Twitter and sign up for our mailing list.