As the population ages, Northern Health hopes to develop better living situations for seniors in the North.
“The age 75+ population is expected to roughly triple between now and 2035,” said Aaron Bond, Northern Health Elder Program’s Executive Lead.
He emphasized team-based community care, including further developing existing home support systems, stating:
“We believe we should continue to offer expanded services to keep people in their own homes as long as possible.”
Northern Health says the decision is based on the desires of seniors in the region.
“The strategy is to move away from rigidly-defined institutions,” Bond added.
Northern Health currently has the longest wait time for long-term care of any health authority in the province, an issue acknowledged by the organization.
“We definitely want to get to a place where we get people in as quickly as we can.”
An ageing population and a lack of flexibility in housing options were named as potential culprits for the long waitlists.
Bond explained the population is ageing because “more people are deciding to work, live, and retire in the north.”