North American Trends in Elderly Care
Elderly Care in Canada: Shifting from Institutionalized to Home Care
Population aging is as much of a phenomenon in Canada as the rest of the world, but like the U.S., the aging rate is slower than most other countries. The Canadian population aged 65+ is expected to rise to 20% by 2023, requiring more support for elderly care.
Canada’s health care program, Medicare, is funded through tax payments and is universally available to all permanent Canadian residents. Territories and provinces receive funding from the federal government and are responsible for creating area-wide coverage plans based on the Canadian Health Act (CHA). Typically, doctor visits and other diagnostic services are insured, but ambulance, over-the-counter medications, dental, and long-term care involve cost sharing.
Elderly care and long-term care services are supported by the government as part of the CHA only in hospitals. Care at non-hospital facilities such as nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and patients’ homes depend on the discretionary policies and budget allocations of territories and provinces and therefore tend to vary across the country.
Trends in elderly demographics and care in Canada
Due to increased life expectancies and the aging baby boomer generation, Canada’s elderly population is growing at a faster rate than its national population. But the health care system suffers from funding issues and long wait times. There is about one physician per 1000 people and it takes an average of 21 weeks to get to a specialist.
Many elderly Canadians receive institutionalized care at the moment, but there is a shift in demand towards homecare services. Healthcare businesses have increased spending on homecare by an annualized rate of 3.1% over the previous five years. And by 2023, the country is forecasted to have 3100+ homecare providers. Currently, though, there aren’t enough providers and caregivers.
The homecare market is unorganized, with almost 80% of the services provided by unregulated workers with limited skill sets. In 2019, an estimated 5.9 million Canadians provided care for nearly 1.7 million people aged 65+. Most caregivers still tend to be family members who have to quit their jobs or structure a flexible work arrangement in order to provide support.
Due to staff shortages, as well as the fact that many patients need to self-fund their expenses out-of-pocket, approximately 26% of the elderly who require homecare have their needs unmet. Resolving these issues is important, as homecare is considered a better option for the future for both meeting needs of elderly patients and reducing overall costs.
How mobile workforce management can help
As the number of homecare businesses continue to increase in the next few years, they need to strive towards operational excellence. They need to optimize their workforce in order to serve more customers, as well as reduce costs and overheads. This is where mobile workforce management systems can pitch in.
Mobile workforce management solutions ensure that caregivers’ time isn’t lost to administrative tasks or unnecessary travel time. Instead, the solution aims to create a win-win situation for patients, employees, and healthcare businesses by improving the quality of care, leveraging the skills of practitioners, and reducing the overall spend respectively.
The Intersection of Technology and Elderly Care
As the need for elderly care grows in North America, Canada and the U.S. are looking for better ways to allocate spending for elderly care and keep costs under control. On the other end of the spectrum, there is the issue of finding enough caregivers to provide quality care for the elderly, and keeping those caregivers satisfied and engaged enough to stay.
Technology can be the gamechanger here. Advanced technology strategies, such as remote patient monitoring (RPM) and electronic visit verification (EVV), are being implemented to tackle caregiver deficit. However, it’s mobile workforce management systems that have the potential to play a significant role in this space with the flexibility to address the needs of employees, healthcare organizations, and patients.
An intelligent mobile workforce management platform helps healthcare organizations and employees by improving efficiency, training and empowering workers, and providing a better day-to-day work experience. This translates into cost savings, more satisfied employees, and better care for elderly patients. Book a demo with Skedulo today to learn more!