Like many other countries, Canada is looking at how their senior care system can be improved in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Even though we aren’t quite out of the fire when it comes to the virus itself, many parts of the world are seeing relief thanks to social distancing, masking, and vaccines.
But really, Canada has not fared much better than other countries when it comes to the impact that COVID-19 has had upon its population–especially those that live in nursing homes or other care facilities. About 23,000 people have passed away from the coronavirus in Canada, and 75 percent of them resided in nursing homes. 88 percent of the people in the country that died were aged 70 or older. Again, even though Canada has a healthcare system that many throughout the world have applauded, seniors in this country were placed in just as much risk as they were in the U.S.
The difference between the numbers that we have seen in Canada and the numbers coming out of the U.S. are due to the difference in populations between these two countries. The U.S. has a population of about 330 million people, while Canada only has about 38 million. Really, we would expect the COVID death toll in Canada to be about 10 percent of what we’ve seen in the U.S. because Canada’s population is about a tenth of the U.S.’s. Canada has had fewer deaths than this though, coming in at about five percent of what the U.S. has seen. Still, it is a very alarming number.
One of the things that makes this so concerning is that Canada had a preview of what was happening with the virus and senior care because Europe was hit by the coronavirus prior to North America. Even with this information, most care facilities were still caught off guard.
So, what’s being done to fix it? For one, Canada is taking a new look at how care is paid for. Although they have a universal health care system, senior care isn’t completely included in this. Reimagining how care is paid for and how it is administered is a high priority.
There’s always work to do. It doesn’t matter if you live in the U.S., Canada, or somewhere else. There are always things that can be done to help improve the quality of care that an older loved one receives.
Maybe you know what to change to help a loved one get better care. But maybe you don’t. If that’s the case, please don’t hesitate to call us or another senior care service that you trust. You deserve the best care you can find for an older loved one. Even though the state of senior care might not be the greatest when looking at the institutional level, it does not mean that great, safe, care doesn’t exist.
We can help make that a reality for your family. Give us a call today to learn more.
Leave a Reply