Question Period Note: Seniors Health

Seniors are the fastest growing age group in Canada. The Health Portfolio works with a wide range of partners on health promotion, disease prevention and research to support healthy aging as a public health priority.

• The Government of Canada is committed to helping seniors live healthy, active and independent lives.
• We are working with the provinces, territories and others to help communities become more “age-friendly,” so that seniors can live safely, enjoy good health and be active. There are more than 1400 age-friendly communities in Canada.
• In 2018, the Government of Canada invested $75 million in the Healthy Seniors Pilot Project in New Brunswick. It funds applied research initiatives that can help support seniors in their homes, communities and care facilities.
• Historic investments of $11 billion over 10 years are also supporting provinces and territories to strengthen health care, including improved access to home and community care.
• Over the last five years, the Government of Canada has also invested more than $450 million to support innovative research on aging that aims to improve the quality of life and health of older Canadians.

Healthy aging initiatives can prevent illness and injury, reduce the impact of existing health conditions, help people recover from ill health and frailty, increase independence and improve quality of life.

Health Portfolio Initiatives:
The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) monitors and reports on the health of older Canadians, and promotes their health and wellbeing. PHAC works with stakeholders to ensure that seniors have opportunities, environments and support to live as healthily as possible. Key areas of work include:
• Age-friendly communities (AFC), where older adults and community leaders work to create supportive physical and social environments.
• Promoting falls prevention approaches by increasing public awareness, and improving the availability of data to inform public health decision-making.
• Raising awareness of senior’s mental health and working with partners to develop resources for seniors, families and health professionals.

In June 2019, A Dementia Strategy for Canada: Together We Aspire was released. Budget 2019 announced $50 million over 5 years to help implement the strategy. Budget 2018 allocated $20 million over 5 years and $4 million ongoing to establish the Dementia Community Investment, to support community-based projects that will improve the lives of Canadians living with dementia and their family/friend caregivers.

Budget 2018 provided $75 million to support the Healthy Seniors Pilot Project in New Brunswick. This Project will improve understanding of the impacts of aging, including different issues faced by women and men; test innovative solutions that support healthy aging and improve quality of life; and, share promising practices to support healthy aging for all Canadians. Nine projects from the first call for proposals have been approved to date. Decisions regarding the second call for proposals are imminent.

In Budget 2017, the Government of Canada committed $11 billion over 10 years in new funding for provinces and territories to improve access to home care and mental health services for Canadians, including home-based palliative care and community-based care. PHAC is also providing $250,000 to Parachute Canada for its Pan-Canadian Seniors’ Fall Prevention Network project. In partnership with other injury prevention organizations, Parachute Canada is creating an online hub that will make it easier for Canadians and health professionals to access fall prevention resources.

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) invested more than $450 million to support research on aging between 2014-15 and 2018-19, including research related to mobility in aging, dementia, falls prevention, late life issues and palliative care, age-friendly communities, and technological innovations. For example, CIHR is supporting the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) - a national, long-term study of more than 50,000 men and women between the ages of 45 and 85 that is collecting important data to help us better understand the determinants of healthy aging (including information related to care, social inclusion, and transportation). CIHR also recently launched the Transitions in Care initiative, which is supporting research that transforms health systems to optimize the outcomes of individuals experiencing transitions in care (including older adults).

Parliamentary Business:
In November 2019, the Honourable Deb Schulte was named Minister of Seniors, a position created in July 2018 by the Prime Minister.

The Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities (HUMA) completed its study on Advancing Inclusion and Quality of Life for Canadian Seniors. A Government Response led by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), with Health Portfolio input, was tabled in June 2018.

The Standing Senate Committee on National Finance examined the financial implications and regional considerations of Canada’s aging population. The Government Response entitled: Getting Ready: For a New Generation of Active Seniors was also led by ESDC, with Health Portfolio input, and was tabled in June 2018.

International Initiatives:
In 2016, Canada endorsed the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Global Strategy and Action Plan on Ageing and Health. The WHO is currently developing a proposal for a Decade for Healthy Aging (2020-2030) in consultation with Member States.

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