PREMIER HOMECARE SERVICES INC.

14

January 2010

Canadian Healthcare Crisis: A Palliative Care Perspective


Posted by admin, in Myopian Matters, The Premier Blog

By: James Watson

The Canadian healthcare sector faces an uncertain future. With the demands of an aging population looming, many critics question whether the sector is up to the task. I am sure many people have heard the argument and understand its basic premise but here it is again: baby boomers & consequent aging population = healthcare crisis. An aging population will increase the demand upon the healthcare sector’s resources and the current state of the system will be unable to meet increasing demands. Changes – BIG changes – must be made to prepare and meet the challenge.

520px-Doctors_stethoscope_2Now here is some good news: I am not the first one to think or write about all this. Policy-makers, government agencies, hospitals, nonprofit organizations and private businesses have been planning for this for quite some time. Even still, it is difficult to say whether we will be prepared. I would like to illustrate the complexity of this problem by taking a closer look at a particular service that Premier Homecare Services provides and is well-versed in. Palliative care or end-of-life care is a topic that has been gaining more and more attention (deservedly so) in the healthcare sector and should illustrate the problem well.

Palliative care is a complex service with many component parts like in-home support, bereavement support, care team support, children’s support, information & education support, pain relief and symptom management. Each of these services may be provided in its entirety or to a certain extent by different providers and organizations. For example: A hospice may provide substantial bereavement support and children’s support but may be limited in how much caregiver support it can provide. On the other hand, a private agency like Premier Homecare Services can provide 24 hour caregivers but cannot provide professional bereavement support or children’s counseling. The reality is that substantial planning is required to coordinate all of the different services and providers, to the extent that the service and provider landscape can quickly become a maze.

This sort of confusion is symptomatic of the looming problem in the healthcare sector facing an aging population. There are so many service providers, organizations, agencies, companies, institutions, bureaucracies, initiatives, aging-at-home strategies and 25 year outlooks claiming to have the solutions that many individuals and families suddenly realize they do not have the knowledge or experience to determine which option may be best in a care situation. Add to this the inherent stress and intensity of the circumstance and it quickly becomes a Catch 22 of information overload.

A colleague of mine with Hospice Toronto (hospices are nonprofit organizations dedicated to providing palliative care and beds) offered me some statistics on death and end-of-life conditions in Canada:

According to the Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association (CHPCA):

  • Approximately 259,000 Canadians die each year;
  • Each death affects approximately 5 family members and/or caregivers;
  • With the advancement of treatment therapies, Canadians are living longer in declining health for much longer periods of time than ever before;
  • Many Canadians will die with at least two chronic diseases; and
  • With our aging population, deaths in Canada will increase over 27% to 330,000 deaths annually by 2026, and 29% to 425,000 by 2036.

As the population ages and advances in healthcare technology extend life and prolong end-of-life conditions, the demand for palliative care services will increase substantially too. The question is whether the current system will be able to meet the forecasted demand.

800px-Hospital_room_ubtPalliative care delivery and the healthcare sector as a whole could be made more efficient if access to different service options is improved. Some professionals are already in place to assist this. Social workers, for example, perform highly undervalued work in advising families during  their crisis.

The great problem facing the healthcare sector may not only be whether the service capacity exists (while this is still a very important concern) but whether someone can figure out how to procure the help they require. Knowledge is the solution here and a priority must be placed on public education. Empower the public by educating them about available services before a crisis occurs. Empower professionals like social workers by providing service pathways clear of bureaucratic obstruction and lethargy. Empower Canadians to secure the healthcare services they deserve. In order words: allow for and encourage self-directed care by Canadians as they age.

Here are some additional links to some palliative care related websites:

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