Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) reports cost of elder care could triple in next forty years.
Ottawa (19 May 2011) - In response to an OECD study, the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is urging the federal government to take steps to address growing demand for elder care.
The OECD, representing industrialised nations, estimates that 10% of people in member countries will be more than 80 years old by 2050. This represents a dramatic increase over the 4% in 2010 and 1% in 1950.
OECD countries are spending about 1.5% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on long term care but this could double or even triple over the next 40 years.
The National Union thinks that Canada should start preparing now.
National President James Clancy, in a letter to a Senate committee, wrote that strengthening "long-term care is a struggle about demonstrating our enduring commitment to human dignity. The good news is that the system can be strengthened, provided that our governments, at every level, act with courage and choose the right path. By working together, we can make that happen."
The union points out that part of the solution must be improved working conditions for those who provide elder care services. This is a point on which the OECD report agrees.
The OECD warns against putting too much burden for care on family members. It sees low wages and hard working conditions leading to high turnover of care workers and notes that many countries are struggling to retain trained professional caregivers.
The report notes that Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden improved their retention rates by increasing pay and improving working conditions.
Unfortunately, Canada has been slow to respond to the shifting age distribution among the population. The 2009 final report by the Special Senate Committee on Aging identified "serious gaps" in health care, transportation, housing and support systems for the rising number of seniors in the Canada.
NUPGE
The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE
Digg
Reddit
Facebook
Twitter
Google
