Issue #15: System Change

As our population ages at an unprecedented rate, we are moving into uncharted territory with regards to health care provision, policy, and resource planning. We need to ensure that an age-focused lens is applied to all medical, social, health, infrastructure, and support programs moving forward.

Recommendation #48: Identify Inequities

Identify age-based health inequities and barriers to health access through increased research, data collection, and knowledge mobilization.

Recommendation #49: Sector Building on Aging

Invest and prioritize in sector-building on aging, including creating educational incentives to enter needed fields required to support an aging population; integrating professional and employee development for health and social care workers in geriatrics; and designating a specific investment envelope for innovation and technology to promote age-inclusivity.

Recommendation #50: Pharmacy Integration in Care

Support pharmacy integration, polypharmacy controls, and deprescribing programs to reduce the adverse effects of medications and to support the tracking of prescriptions. Work with pharmacist colleges and associations to cover all qualified scope of practices and areas of care, particularly to support healthcare in rural, remote, Northern, and Indigenous communities.

Recommendation #51: Digital

Work with the private sector and AGE-WELL, CFN and NICE to develop digital and technological health and wellness transformation opportunities for an aging population. Embed requirements of knowledge mobilization to allow for easy-to-understand uptake of best evidence.