The pandemic revealed this massive blind spot in elder care

Canadians will want to age at home post-pandemic, experts say, and our culture of care needs to adapt

Why It Matters

Senior care in Canada is a complex and disconnected system. After the pandemic, experts believe the elder-care system needs to take a more holistic approach that connects the social service of long-term care more closely to the medical system. This story is produced in partnership with SE Health, a social enterprise dedicated to impacting how people live and age at home.

For the caregiver community, the COVID-19 pandemic has shown just how important it is to help aging Canadians thrive at home.ย 

Senior care in Canada has long been a complex and disconnected system. Home care and long-term care exist separately from healthcare services like hospitals, labs, and pharmacies as well as social services such as employment, lifelong learning, financial literacy, and arts and culture. Each part is funded separately and is managed by different government ministries. Seniors are largely left to fend for themselves, navigating a complex set of services with little help or direction.ย 

This all started to change almost overnight when the virus hit Canadaโ€™s elderly, says Zayna Khayat, an expert in healthcare innovation and a future strategist at SE Health. The pandemic forced all the separate parts to start communicating and pushed care-pr

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