Jul 18, 2016
By Jane Brown
It seems home care access isn’t equal for those who’s mother tongue is not English.
A new study finds immigrant seniors are less likely than their Canadian counterparts to receive government-funded home care and must count on family, friends and neighbours for assistance.
The study is called Ensuring Healthy Aging for All, and explains that this is not all about language. It also has to do with the information immigrant seniors have about these services and how well they navigate the system.
The report attributes the discrepancies among immigrant groups to the length of time immigrant seniors have spent in Canada. The longer they’ve been here, the more knowledgeable they are about how to manoeuvre through the system.
The report is published by the Wellesley Institute and is co-authored by Seong-gee Um and Naomi Lightman.
Service providers praise the timeliness of the research as Canada’s aging population has become increasingly diverse, especially during a time when the Ontario government is pushing for home and community care as the cornerstone of its Patients First health-care action plan.
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