Time to Re-Think Health Care Policy for the Elderly

 As the Canadian population continues to age, there is a need to revisit conventional thinking regarding the provision of health care services for seniors to ensure that the system is sustainable for all Canadians. There are a number of misperceptions in current thinking. First, there is a belief that a

What Kind of Health Workforce Will Be Needed to Serve Our Aging Population?

 By Gregory Huyer and Ivy Lynn Bourgeault We know that Canada’s population is aging. Among the many statistics that have been reported is how in 2015, the proportion of Canadian seniors surpassed that of youth under 15 for the first time. The gap will continue to widen over the next

We Need a Radical New Approach for Kids in Care

 Families seeking support services should not have to worry their children will be taken away from them Six advocates for First Nations children have gone on a symbolic hunger strike at the Manitoba Legislature to try to raise awareness across the country about Manitoba’s broken child welfare system. Why? Well, here’s one

Changing the Future: Moisture Vaporators

 The technology of science fiction is often flashy and impressive, but more mundane seeming inventions that make up the background of movie sets are equally likely to change the real world. The perfect example of this is the moisture vaporator, a device that is mentioned in passing in the original

Five challenges for bending the health care cost curve in Canada

 By Greg Marchildon and Livio Di Matteo Why health reform remains a challenge Canadian economists received a pleasant surprise this year: expenditure growth on public healthcare in Canada finally appears to be slowing down. However, it is unclear if this slowdown is the result of explicit success in sustainably bending the cost-curve

Quebec’s proposed health reform Iignores best evidence

 By Paul Lamarche, Réjean Hébert and François Béland Mega-mergers in healthcare don’t save money or improve health outcomes Quebec’s Bill 10’s objectives are the improvement to the access and quality of health and social services in the province, while diminishing bureaucracy and increasing efficiency. To accomplish these objectives, the proposed law

Older adults living with mental illness need specialized housing

 New Calgary report warns more homeless seniors a real possibility By Pat Cashion and Lee Tunstall Older adults living with mental illness often face a double stigma in our society—both from aging and from mental illness. They are some of the most invisible and most vulnerable individuals in our communities,

Magnifique Martinique: So Much More than a Simple Beach Vacation

 The idyllic, beautiful island of Martinique sits just north of St. Lucia in the Caribbean Sea. The Dutch, English and Portuguese all wanted this tiny island, but it was the French who prevailed. Consequently, French is spoken everywhere. Words do not fly off the tongue quite as quickly as they