Aging in the Right Place

Imagine spending your golden years in the comfort of your own home, surrounded by familiar sights and sounds. For many seniors, this isn’t just a dream—it’s an essential part of maintaining their well-being.

A 2020 survey by the National Institute on Ageing (NIA) showed that 91 percent of Canadians, and nearly 100 percent of those aged 65 and older, want to stay in their homes for as long as possible.

Family-Funded Providers Are Here to Help

Family-funded (private) home health and independent living services can help seniors age well in the right place – but only if seniors care afford it.

Family-funded home health provides seniors and their families with more flexibility and greater ability to ensure that they can focus on the things that will help them stay independent for as long as possible. Supporting seniors to offset costs incurred through hiring a private agency also helps to ensure that publicly subsidized care remains accessible to those who need it most.

Congregate living environments, such as independent living or retirement homes, can also offer tremendous benefits—including better health, more opportunities to be social and engage in recreation, fewer falls, better nutrition, and the security of knowing support is available if they need it. It also addresses the issue of loneliness and is thought to delay cognitive decline. By promoting congregate living options, governments can also better utilize scarce health care resources by keeping seniors well for longer.

Aging in the Right Place Tax Credit

To bridge this gap and stabilize these services, BC Care Providers Association advocates for an ‘Aging in the Right Place Tax Credit’. This tax credit would help offset the costs associated with:

Home Health Services: Ensuring that seniors receive the necessary care in their own homes without incurring excessive out-of-pocket expenses.
Independent Living Services: Supporting seniors living in independent settings by providing financial relief for associated service costs.

For more information on BCCPA’s advocacy on the Aging in the Right Place tax credit, please see our pre-election white paper, “All Hands-on-Deck: An Urgent Call to Action to Ensure Care for B.C. Seniors.”

Access the white paper here.