New research from Dr. Arthur Sweetman and Dr. Boris Kralj at McMaster University's Centre for Health Economics & Policy Analysis in Hamilton paints the clearest picture yet that Ontario's senior population is exploding over the next five years, with dire consequences for patient care without massive investments to build the home care workforce.

Their research found that the proportion of those over the age of 65 will increase by 23 per cent or 650,000 people and those over the age of 75 will grow by 27 per cent or 350,000 people by 2029 respectively. Those increases are much faster than the general population; resulting in additional pressures on the health care system and creating an urgent need for continued investment in home care to meet the increased demand for services and help more people age at home.

"This research makes it clear that time is of the essence, and we must act now to get ahead of the demographic tsunami that is at our shores and could swamp our already strained health care system," said Sue VanderBent, CEO, Home Care Ontario. "The only answer is to invest in more home care, which can be scaled faster than any other part of the health system and is what our seniors actually want."  

The new paper also outlines the massive increase in home care staff that will be required to keep pace with this demographic surge in Ontario's seniors' population. It specifically found that Ontario will need to hire an additional 6800 PSWs in the home care sector alone by 2028 just to maintain the level of home care service currently provided across the province. The report also states that the need for additional staff is very likely similar for nursing, therapists, and all other health professionals working in the home care sector.  The report further states that it will require thousands more staff to increase the level of care seniors receive at home – where it has been repeatedly shown that seniors want to be.

These new figures are clear proof in support of Home Care Ontario's call that the government must invest an additional $411 million annually for the next three years to improve patient-centered care and support its home care workforce. This investment will be directed toward:

• Further improving front line compensation;
• Providing ongoing specialized training and mentorship to help retain existing home care staff; and,
• Modernizing the sector's digital infrastructure to create a sharable electronic patient record that can been seen and updated by all health care providers supporting home care patients.

It is asking government to support family-funded care by expanding the scope of the Ontario Seniors Care at Home Tax Credit (OSCAH) to ensure it supports part-time care in the home.

"We have been ringing the alarm bell that we must act fast to help our home care system and this research shows what is at stake," concluded VanderBent. "Our seniors' population is about to surge, and we need to make sure our health care system is ready. Continued investment is needed to massively expand the home care system to make sure the care is available where our seniors want it – at home."