Can the Canadian healthcare system adequately handle the needs of our country's ever-growing senior population? According to a recent survey, over half of respondents feel not. The numbers from this poll, as reported in a recent news article (Postmedia News), indicate that 51 per cent of those surveyed suggest that the health care system will get worse before it gets better - possibly as soon as only two to three short years from now.
It's a proven fact that our country's population is getting older. Just look to the latest Canadian Census and you can see that baby boomers (living from British Columbia to Prince Edward Island) are aging. As we age, our physical and mental health can slide and care must be provided ... if these seniors cannot be housed in hospitals and/or appropriate long-term care centres with adequate staff, someone must look after Canada's aging residents. That job, typically, falls on the shoulders of family caregivers.
Our expected strained healthcare system is also expected to put more of a financial strain on users; however, this is facing some resistance. Whether by paying more for healthcare (through taxes or user fees), Canadians are unwilling to just open their wallets and/or purses wider. In the news article, it is stated that "Few Canadians are prepared to cough up more cash for healthcare. Twenty-two per cent said they are willing to pay more in taxes to ensure adequate health services for Baby Boomers as they age and even fewer - 15 per cent - are willing to sacrifice health promotion programs."
The issue of our country's strained healthcare system is not just simmering on the stove ... it is about to boil over. Considering the gloomy forecast, something must be done to adequately provide for these aged Canadians and their families.
No comments:
Post a Comment