Issue link: http://clhia.uberflip.com/i/206673
The CLHIA recommends that federal, provincial and territorial governments support education and outreach campaigns promoting geriatric and gerontological health care professions as career choices, and the funding of residency positions in geriatrics. The CLHIA recommends that compensation for physicians and nurses that specialize in gerontology be reformed in order to be competitive with those that specialize in other areas of medicine. The CLHIA recommends that governments invest to ensure an appropriate supply of paramedical providers (e.g., physiotherapists) to meet the long-term care of Canadians. Informal Care The majority of seniors wish to remain in their homes in order to maintain their independence for as long as possible. However, many require some form of assistance or care to stay at home safely and comfortably. Age demographics will result in more Canadians caring for their aged parents and relatives at home as informal caregivers. Informal caregivers are individuals who provide ongoing care and assistance, without pay, for family members and friends in need of support due to physical, cognitive, or mental conditions. Informal caregivers play a crucial role in maintaining the health, well-being, functional independence and quality of life of people living in the community who are otherwise at risk of losing their independence. In particular, informal care can assist with: • • • instrumental activities of daily living (e.g., transportation, meal preparation, shopping, housekeeping, home maintenance and medication management); activities of daily living (e.g., bathing, toileting, eating, locomotion and personal hygiene); and formal service coordination and management (e.g., navigating the health system, linking individuals to services and coordinating multiple services from diverse and multiple providers for those with complex needs). Many of those who provide informal care to older Canadians are spouses and adult children although roughly one-third of caregivers are friends, extended family and neighbours. Informal caregivers are mostly aged 45 and older and represent about 2.7 million Canadians. 31 They provide approximately 80 per cent of the care needs for people with chronic health issues and contribute an estimated economic value of $25 billion. 32 Importantly, informal caregivers provide assistance in addition to the demands they face in their own daily life related to work and family, which adds to the often demanding nature of the role. Given the demographics of Canadians, it is clear that a growing number of older people will 31 Canadian Research Network for Care in the Community. Backgrounder: Informal Caregiving. The Canadian Research Network for Care in the Community. The costs associated with providing informal care include personal/social costs, physical health costs, psychological costs and economic costs. 32 14