CARP is calling for a new vision for aging at home that addresses the diversity of needs and challenges that Canadians may experience that also contributes towards building a sustainable healthcare system.

CARP’s new vision of aging at home requires a commitment to sustainable funding and standards for an integrated system of continuing care that meets the variety of needs and challenges of all Canadians as they age. CARP’s vision for aging at home requires a continuum of care starting at the onset of need, from diagnosis or acute care, through to end of life care. And, it also requires an integration of formal health services with social services and affordable housing to ensure that all Canadians receive a full spectrum of care at all levels of need.

Canadians want to live at home for as long as possible, regardless of physical limitations and changes in health. Aging at home remains a promise not a reality, despite a patchwork of provincial efforts and policies. Provincial home care policies, where they do exist, tend to focus on post-acute services, disregarding the individual and systemic benefits to an integrated continuum of care that accounts for the well-being of Canadians throughout the age and health spectrum.

To read CARP’s backgrounder and see all policy recommendations download CARP’s New Vision for Aging at Home