*Your Organization*
Thursday, October 06, 2016
Name of Member of Parliament
Title
Address
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Dear ______
I would like to take this opportunity to tell you a bit about “Hospice Palliative Care FIRST: A Month of Action.” From October 8 (World Hospice Palliative Care Day) to November 10, Canadians from Coast to coast to coast are bringing attention to the importance of the ongoing Health Accord negotiations and the strong place that hospice palliative care must play in the final negotiated accord. HPC crosses all of the themes prioritized by the federal government including innovation, First Nations health, pharma care, mental health and home care.
With Canada’s aging population topmost in the minds of policy makers in the coming years, it is important to remember the needs of an often over-looked group: Canada’s caregivers. A caregiver is an individual who provides ongoing care and assistance, without pay, for family members and friends in need of support due to physical, cognitive, or mental health conditions.
Almost a decade ago, 2.7 million Canadian family caregivers over the age of 45 were helping seniors with long-term health conditions. Those numbers will only increase, placing stress on families and on the Canadian economy. Current estimates for replacement costs for unpaid caregiving in Canada indicate a significant economic contribution by caregivers; estimates range between $25 to $26 billion. But more support for caregivers is needed in the form of training about personal and medical care, psychological, social and spiritual care; including administration of medications and injections. Support is also needed for advocacy and care‐coordination with community health organizations.
Canada needs a health system that puts more resources into community care supports instead of only adding resources into an acute care system that isn’t meeting the needs of Canadians who want their health care delivered in the community. Making these changes would help ensure that caregivers across Canada would have the support they need to keep more seniors and chronically-ill Canadians out of hospital beds and in their own homes where they want to be.
As a policy maker, we are asking you to add your voice to those of us calling on all levels of government to implement real and sustainable changes to our health care system.
Sincerely,
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