Webinar: Canadian Home Care Priorities for Seniors: What Can We Learn From Australia?

On Wednesday, May 9, 2012 at 10:30AM (EDT) John G. Abbott, CEO of the Health Council of Canada will host a panel of guests including:

• Jeff Fiebig, Manager, Program Development of the ACH Group in Adelaide, Australia
• Pamela Fralick, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Healthcare Association
• Nadine Henningsen, Executive Director of the Canadian Home Care Association.

Join us and add your voice to the conversation with your questions on this important topic. The webinar will expand on many of the issues presented in our recent report, Seniors in need, Caregivers in distress: What are the home care priorities for seniors in Canada?

Date: Wednesday, May 9, 2012

 

Time: 10:30 AM EDT (GMT – 4:00)

 

To register for the online event, click here, then click on “register”. On the registration form, enter your information, and then click "Submit." You will receive a confirmation email message with instructions on how to join the event once your registration is approved.

 

Family - the invisible backbone of the health care system

Nadine Henningsen is the Executive Director of the Canadian Home Care Association.

Home is the place that in so many ways defines who we are; it is, in the words of the Pulitzer prize winning journalist John Ed Pearce “...a place you grow up wanting to leave, and grow old wanting to get back to.“ How true this is, especially when we think about aging and how we want to live out our lives – independently and with dignity; surrounded by our loved ones in the comfort of our home. Thanks to the great strides made in the development and growth of home care programs across Canada, this vision is very much a reality.

The aging process inevitably brings both physical and mental challenges as one must often deal with a number of chronic diseases as well as complex emotional situations such as the death of a spouse or loved one. Although publicly funded home care programs are essential to providing vital clinical and social supports to seniors, an integral part of aging at home is the involvement of family caregivers. Family caregivers – a spouse, children, siblings and even friends and neighbours - are the invisible backbone of the health care system. Without family caregivers, receiving care in the home would not be a viable option.

Congratulations to Health Council of Canada for their recognition and sound recommendations for both home care and family caregivers. We look forward to working with the Council and governments across Canada to advance home care as a vital component of an integrated health care system that is responsive to all Canadians.

Centre Stage: Where Seniors and Caregivers Belong

Shirlee Sharkey is president and chief executive officer of Saint Elizabeth, a leading national health care organization. Saint Elizabeth delivers five million health care visits annually and employs almost six thousand people providing nursing, rehabilitation, personal support, research and consulting services.

Home care is in the spotlight as economics, aging and consumerism push care closer to home. A timely new report from the Health Council of Canada showcases a range of examples, from across Canada and internationally, of promising approaches in home care.  I agree we need to broaden the reach of these positive advances, shifting from pockets of innovation to more mainstream implementation.  At the same time, we must use the opportunities for care in the home to help the entire system leap forward by optimizing the strengths of individuals, families and communities. 

A quick win might be to simply increase funding, expecting more of the same to provide better results. And it will – to some degree. Existing home care services encompass everything from highly complex care, such as home dialysis and chemotherapy, to chronic disease management, to personal and home support. More funding will enable these services to reach more people.  However, this approach will keep us responding to people and their needs reactively, often after a life-changing event takes place, rather than proactively filling the gaps in an individual’s health journey. Other countries conduct needs assessments with seniors in their homes and communities after the age of 75 in order to get ahead of the care curve.

For optimal investment we need to shift the lens from providers to seniors and their families, bringing health care to where they are.  The greatest value of care in the home will come from supporting people where and how they need us, throughout their lives. 

To achieve this vision we need to deeply understand the health and life circumstances of individual seniors and their caregivers.  Only then can we offer choices that best suit their needs, preferences and environment.  Seniors and family caregivers will take centre stage, while we step back to provide the props and backdrops.