Study ranks Canada 8th among 11 developed countries in seniors’ care

The study suggests the country can do more to improve access to seniors’ care and overall equity in the health system. It found that most provinces exceed the international average in care process, which includes factors such as coordination across health providers and patient engagement but fall below average on equity and access to care, which includes factors such as wait times. It also notes that access to medical care is an obstacle for low-income seniors, noting that 15% of seniors in Canada aren’t visiting a dentist and 8% aren’t receiving the home care they need because they can’t afford it. N.B. scored below most international comparators. Among their policy recommendations, the authors suggest improving overall access to care for seniors, timeliness of care and reducing cost barriers to prescriptions, dentistry and home care services across the country.