11-country survey of seniors shows Canada’s seniors are least satisfied with quality of care

Toronto - In an international survey of seniors in 11 countries, Canadian seniors reported the lowest satisfaction with the overall quality of the healthcare they received. Despite this, Canada’s seniors report better perceived health than the international average.How Canada Compares: Results From The Commonwealth Fund’s 2017 International Health Policy Survey of Seniors, released Feb. 8 by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), shows that only two out of three Canadian seniors (67%) were satisfied with the quality of the healthcare they received, compared with an average of 76% of seniors in all surveyed countries. When it comes to perceived health, four out of five Canadian seniors surveyed described their health as “excellent,” “very good” or “good.”The 2017 edition of The Commonwealth Fund’s survey focused on the views and experiences of seniors (age 65 and older) in 11 developed countries. The Canadian survey included questions on home care and medical assistance in dying that were not asked in other countries.“We learn so much from examining how Canadian seniors interact with their health system and by comparing their experiences with those of seniors from other comparable countries. We do see some encouraging signs, particularly in the realm of end-of-life planning and home care, where Canadian seniors largely report that their needs are being met,” said Tracy Johnson, director of health system analysis and emerging issues at CIHI in a press release.Other findings:Access to specialistsCanadian seniors think coordination of specialist care could be improved.More than half (59%) of Canadian seniors surveyed — the highest rate among 11 countries — said that they waited at least 4 weeks for a specialist visit.5% said their specialist did not have basic medical information from their regular doctor.13% said their regular doctor did not seem informed about the specialist care they received.Mental healthCanadian seniors have to cope with mental health challenges, on top of other medical issues.Almost 1 out of 5 Canadian seniors surveyed had experienced emotional distress in the past 2 years, which they found difficult to cope with by themselves.17% of Canadian seniors reported feeling isolated some of the time or often.Home careCanadian seniors want to stay at home for as long as possible.More than 4 out of 5 Canadian seniors surveyed (86%) who received publicly funded home care said that the services helped them remain at home.3% of Canadian seniors felt they needed publicly funded home care services but did not receive them.11% of Canadian seniors had help with certain activities of daily living, with 4 out of 5 receiving it from a family member or friend.Medical assistance in dyingMore seniors in Canada have engaged in end-of-life care planning than those in other countries.12% of Canadian seniors or one of their family members have talked to a health care provider about access to medical assistance in dying.Almost two-thirds of Canadian seniors surveyed (64%) are confident that they would be able to obtain medical assistance in dying in their community.This text came from CIHI.

11-country survey of seniors shows Canada’s seniors are least satisfied with quality of care

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