Five Principles for a National Seniors Strategy

Five Fundamental Principles for a

National Seniors Strategy

As the Seniors Strategy moves forward to help build a country that values, encourages and promotes the wellness and independence of older Canadians, it will be vital to ensure that any proposed policies, programs, and services adhere to the five principles that Canadians told us mattered most to them.

As work moves forward to create a National Seniors Strategy that helps to build a nation that values, encourages and promotes the wellness and independence of older Canadians, it will be vital to ensure that any proposed policies, programs, and services adhere to the five foundational principles that Canadians and the organizations representing them told us mattered most to them.

These five principles were originally derived through the creation of the Ontario Seniors Strategy and its consultations with thousands of Ontarians, as well as national and international experts and stakeholders.

We were pleased to see that these same foundational principles continue to resonate with the broader national audience that is now fully engaged in this work.

ACCESS

We are spending more on health, social, and community services than ever before, yet older Canadians, their families, and their caregivers still find it challenging to access the right care and supports, in the right place, at the right time – especially for those living in rural and remote communities and those with more limited financial means. Therefore, when planning, reviewing, and delivering services we need to ask ourselves whether we are ensuring that older Canadians, their families, and their caregivers can easily access the services and supports they need in a timely and efficient way.

EQUITY

We recognize that one of our greatest assets as a nation is our diversity. Given that diversity is both visible and invisible, we need to ensure that the needs of older Canadians from different ethnocultural groups are acknowledged as well as those from our lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual and queer (LGBTQ) communities, those whose abilities are limited and those with special needs, such as the homebound, are equally supported. Therefore, when planning, reviewing, and delivering services, we need to ask ourselves whether we are ensuring, where possible, that older Canadians from diverse backgrounds are having their needs met in a way that acknowledges their sociocultural circumstances.

CHOICE

We offer an incredible variety of supports and services for older Canadians, yet their ability to understand their options and express their choices is not always as fully realized as it should be. Older Canadians have the right to know what their options are and, when capable, make informed decisions with which they are comfortable. We never question a younger adult’s right to make good or poor decisions, so we also need to appreciate and acknowledge that older Canadians should still be supported even if they make informed decisions that allow them to live at risk. Therefore, when planning, reviewing, and delivering services to them, we need to ask ourselves whether we are ensuring that older Canadians, their families, and their caregivers have as many choices as is reasonable and possible, and whether they are also supported and empowered with the best information to make informed choices.

VALUE

With our current and future fiscal and demographic imperatives, we need to ensure we are spending our tax dollars in the most effective and efficient ways to help ensure the future sustainability of our systems, programs, and services. Therefore, when planning, reviewing, and delivering services, we need to ask ourselves whether we are ensuring that every dollar we spend is providing the best value possible.

QUALITY

Within our mandate to control current and future costs, we need to ensure that we never do this at the cost of quality. We are increasingly understanding that better quality care in many cases doesn’t actually cost more; it will not only meet our expectations, but also deliver desired outcomes that governments, service providers, and the public all value. Therefore, when planning, reviewing, and delivering services, we need to ask ourselves whether we are ensuring that a focus on quality is central to the work at hand.