Long-Term Care Trends in Canada

LET’S TALK ABOUT THE VARIOUS TRENDS IN CANADA NOW THAT MAY AFFECT YOUR LONG-TERM CARE

TREND:
The face of our country is changing rapidly and will continue to do so for the next 40 years...long-term care is not a here-today, gone-tomorrow issue, it is a here-today, here-tomorrow issue.

TREND:
Seniors are living longer... and thus what is termed 'young seniors' (65 to 74) and 'old-old-seniors' (85+) are forming a larger part of our total population

TREND:
Health expenditures for seniors is disproportionate to our seniors population in our country. Good health expectancy is not equivalent to long-life expectency…in other words, just because we are living longer, doesn’t mean we are living with good health for all that period of time.

TREND:
The LTC issue has been studied as part of many health commisions and government leaders are telling us not to depend on provincial programs and services when it comes to our long-term care needs

TREND:
Seniors will be looking after seniors
(Did we anticipate this in our retirement plan?)

TREND: Women will continue in the caregiving role for families

Let's Talk - The Care Years by Patty Randall
ISBN -0-9782215-0-8

TREND:
Working Caregivers in Canada are growing in numbers... and the employees and companies both are feeling the impact.

1 in 4 caregivers say their employment has been affected
19% of those employed report ‘significant disruption’
33% report ‘some disruption’
66% report that employers help them balance their care giving responsibilities

ElderCare And the Workplace

Estimate your costs as a small or large business with caregiving employees An "Eldercarecalculator" for use by businesses USA-based, from MetLife Mature Market Institute. Click here.

We are living longer now and have very positive lifestyle expectations as seniors-what kind of rocker do you want to be?"

Singer Tina Turner (top) exemplifies tomorrow's oldster, while Whistler's Mother is a stereotype of traditional twilight years.

World Elder Abuse Awareness Day

Celebrate the contributions of our elder adults and educate about the prevention of abuse of older adults.

Click here for Canadian Network for Prevention of Elder Abuse

Click here for INPEA.

A checklist on safe elderly driving

Watch for telltale signs of decline in the elderly person's driving abilities.

Do they:

Drive at inappropriate speeds, either too fast or too slow?

Ask passengers to help check if it is clear to pass or turn?

Ignore, disobey or misinterpret street signs and traffic lights?

Fail to yield to other cars or pedestrians who have the right-of-way?

Fail to judge distances between cars correctly?

Become easily frustrated and angry?

Appear drowsy, confused or frightened?

Have one or more near accidents or near misses?

Drift across lane markings or bump into curbs?

Forget to turn on headlights after dusk?

Have difficulty with glare from oncoming headlights, streetlights, or other bright or shiny objects, especially at dawn, dusk and at night?

Have difficulty turning their head, neck, shoulders or body while driving or parking?

Ignore signs of mechanical problems, including underinflated tires? (one in 4 cars has at least one tire that is underinflated by 8 pounds or more; low tire pressure is a major cause of accidents.)

Have too little strength to turn the wheel quickly in an emergency such as a tire failure, a child darting into traffic, etc.?

Gets lost repeatedly, even in familiar areas?

If the answer to one or more of these questions is "yes," you should explore whether medical issues are affecting their driving skills.

Let's Talk - The Care-Years Taking Care of Our Parents Planning for Ourselves Book available through Amazon.ca