Service Provision for Seniors: Challenges for Communities in Atlantic Canada

Abstract

The delivery of services for seniors in Canada today is inherently complex and challenging. Canada’s aging population is affecting the demand for services and changing the face of service provision (i.e., how and where services are delivered; the types of services available). Regionalization of health services, ongoing fiscal constraints, advances in technology and medicine, shifts to community- based care, societal and family changes and the prevalence of chronic disease combined with an aging population are factors contributing to challenges in service delivery for seniors. In this paper, the results from the Atlantic Canada component of a national study about service provision for seniors are reported. Analysis indicates that there are several common challenges that communities in Atlantic Canada face. The results of this study contribute to a better understanding of service provision challenges for seniors for communities across Canada.