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NWT's aging population a 'wake up call,' says expert

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1001agingpopulation3 James O'Connor took this photo from somewhere New stastics show the NWT is on pace to see more than an 80-per-cent upswing in the number of residents aged 60 and over by the year 2035. The GNWT will have an emphasis on long-term care, with a focus on palliative and in-home services.

New projections for the Northwest Territories' aging population are a stark illustration of what the health care system could face in the coming years, the head of a non-profit senior advocacy groups says.

"It is a wake up call for all service providers, governments and organizations like ours," NWT Seniors' Society executive director Barb Hood told Yellowknifer in an interview last week.

Outlined late last month in a report from NWT Bureau of Statistics, the territory is on track to see more than an 80 per cent upswing in the number of residents aged 60 and over by 2035.

While the baby boomer-buoyed forecast isn't unexpected, Hood said the prediction clearly highlights the need for service providers and agencies to take a proactive approach in preparing for the future.

With more older adults accessing health and social services, the shift, she said, stands to have broad, system-wide implications for the provision of programs – from in-home care to recreational initiatives.

The looming spike in demand also threatens to put pressure on an already strained system – despite the work being done by the territorial government to catch up with an aging population, Hood said.

"We already have a severe shortage of long-term beds – something like 258," she said, adding the shortfall is expected to last the next seven to eight years until the GNWT can bring more in.

New stastics show the NWT is on pace to see more than an 80-per-cent upswing in the number of residents aged 60 and over by the year 2035. The GNWT will have an emphasis on long-term care, with a focus on palliative and in-home services. NNSL file photo. 

But Hood, who advises the GNWT quarterly on issues related to aging adults, is optimistic steps being taken now will help ensure health care providers, governments and agencies won't be left scrambling to adequately meet soaring demand in the years to come.

Citing the GNWT's planned implementation of a territory-wide seniors' strategy, such as those already seen in provinces like Ontario, Hood said the department of Health and Social Services is "making every effort to address (future needs) in the best way that they can with the resources they have."

Victorine Lafferty, director of Seniors and Continuing Care Services – the GNWT branch that oversees the provision of health and personal care services, including long term care and supported living – agrees.

While the NWT faces unique challenges in bringing these services up to speed, such as grappling with a scattered population over a large area, Lafferty says she's confident the department's five-year Continuing Care Action Plan, has the territory and its capital on the right track.

The action plan, launched in 2017, aims to meet several objectives by 2022, including the enhancement of palliative care services, boosting equal accessibility to quality long-term care and increasing support for caregivers, with the overall goal of reducing "gaps and barriers to provide equitable access to safe, culturally respectful and responsive programs and services," states the plan.

"It's going to take some time to complete all of the actions – we're probably in the research and development phase but we're further along with long-term care," Lafferty said.

With this emphasis on long-term care, she said, comes a focus on palliative and in-home services.
"Palliative care is a priority, and we're working on developing policies and protocols, providing education for our health providers involved in delivering palliative care," said Lafferty.

Lafferty added that steps are being taken to identify residents suffering from chronic and life-limiting illnesses early on, something she says will help people "live longer and better."

While Lafferty admits Yellowknife is currently the centre for shortages in long-term care beds, she's confident the work being done now will alleviate future strains on the system.

Yellowknife is home to three of the territory's nine long-term care facilities. One is at Stanton Territorial Hospital. Pointing to the GNWT's to recent government investments in home and community care, Lafferty said health care providers are "well placed" to meet swelling numbers of older adults in the coming decades.

Meanwhile, Barb Hood stressed the need for a national seniors' strategy to accompany NWT's plan, and called for more "no-strings-attached" funding from Ottawa – with more room on how dollars are spent – that would "let us develop programs that suit our population."

That said, Hood emphasized there's more to the evolving equation than big investments for long-term care. A proactive approach to strengthening of community-care, including recreational services, she said, is also an important piece of the puzzle.

"I don't think very many older adults are looking forward to going into long-term care, so if we could be doing prevention and intervention very early on, we would be saving the system money and in the long run people would be happier."