Long-term care for the elderly

As Canada's society ages, more personal care and health support will be needed for people who, either as a consequence of disability or aging, require assistance to function independently. As this happens, policymakers face the daunting challenge of balancing the fiscal burden on taxpayers with the need to ensure that all individuals with long-term needs receive proper care. But this is a challenge best confronted immediately, before the first wave of babyboomers begins to draw heavily on long-term care programs in about 15 years' time. In light of this challenge, policymakers must tackle two major policy questions. First, should governments take more responsibility for financing long-term care to bring this part of the healthcare system closer to the principle of universal coverage that currently applies to physician and hospital services? Policy reforms in long-term care will require methods to contain costs, to fairly divide these costs between care recipients and taxpayers, and to get more value for money in a sector that will feature prominently in future policy debate.