Real world solutions are required to catalyse real change.

The healthcare system in Canada is in crisis.  The current challenges we face – insufficient hospital beds, lack of timely access to a primary care physician, overwhelmed Emergency Departments, a lack of integrated services, and the enormous strain all of this places on healthcare workers – will be amplified in the coming years as we face an additional demographic challenge: Canada’s aging population  –  those over 65 already outnumber those under 14 –  is growing rapidly and is set to double by 2029.  Simply spending more will not solve these complex issues; systemic change is required. We must radically rethink our approach.

This whitepaper proposes a bold paradigm shift by prioritizing home and community care as the foundation for an adaptable and resilient healthcare system. Comprehensive Healthcare at Home is a cost-effective, sustainable, actionable solution that will alleviate pressures on the healthcare system both in the short and long term, improving efficiencies for healthcare spending and budget and, most importantly, improving outcomes and patient satisfaction.  With an aim to better integrate homecare into the healthcare ecosystem, this whitepaper will explore what can be learned from healthcare initiatives at home, and abroad; the types of innovative technologies that can be leveraged; and the regulatory policy changes that must implemented.  It is also an open and urgent invitation for dialogue: the deep systemic change required to heal our ailing healthcare system necessitates cross-disciplinary, industry-wide communication and collaboration.