At some point in life, nearly all of us will be caregivers for our parents, friends, partners, neighbours or family members. Most of us don’t realize we are in this informal (unpaid) role. We see it as just “helping a person we care about”. Yet, in the health care system, caregivers are an essential part of the patient's journey. Caregivers navigate the options; work with clinicians to diagnose or develop a care plan; find and organize the right services; accompany patients at hospitals and doctors' offices; cook meals; provide transportation; and can be on duty 24/7 when they live with person who requires care.

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Most of us are unlikely to give much thought to the flu during the sunny, warm days of summer. But this is precisely the time that provincial governments need to look ahead, plan, and procure vaccines for the upcoming influenza season.

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After decades of talking about it, pharmacare is suddenly everywhere.

Given that prescription medication costs are the second fastest growing health care cost in Canada, representing $25 billion annually, a universal pharmacare program could potentially be a policy game changer.

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The NIA has teamed up with the Toronto Foundation and Environics Institute on a landmark primary research project designed to help us better understand the quality of social life and connectedness in Toronto.

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It’s been proven that income is a significant driver of health outcomes. But even if we didn’t have the evidence, the claim is self-evident.

The ability to purchase good, healthful food, live in safe housing close to services, and the ability to pay for out-of-pocket medical expenses, are just some of the factors that contribute to good health.

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Older Canadians are becoming ever more important constituencies to provincial and federal governments. They now outnumber children under the age of 15, and more importantly, they vote. And they vote at levels unmatched by other age demographics.

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The traditional arc of a career used to be described as something like this: after getting some qualifications, you get a job and progressively move up in the workforce until you retire. However, career jobs are rarely available these days, whereas retirement plans are put off by many Canadian workers, either out of desire or necessity. These changes create new challenges for older workers to getting and keeping a job.

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You’ve just turned 65 and you go to your doctor seeking advice about how to stay as healthy as possible for the next 10, 20, 30 even 40 years. What does your doctor tell you? Well, advising some more exercise may be the best care they could provide.

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