The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed Canada’s heavy reliance on providing long-term care (LTC) in institutions, rather than in people’s homes – their preferred option. To provide more LTC services are provided at home, one solution might be cash-for-care benefits, which are direct public transfers paid to LTC recipients (or their caregivers) to support home care. Widely used in other OECD countries, such benefits could afford Canadians more autonomy and care choices.
On June 21, 2021 we hosted a webinar with University of Ottawa professor Colleen Flood, who discussed her IRPP study on the potential advantages of cash-for-care benefits for improving long-term care in Canada. She was joined by Ito Peng, professor of sociology and public policy at the University of Toronto, as well as Isobel Mackenzie, Seniors Advocate of British Columbia, in a discussion moderated by IRPP Research Director Colin Busby.
This was the final installment in a series of webinars examining LTC policy options and priorities for Canadian governments. The webinars were part of a broader IRPP initiative on long-term care reform, including a feature series of articles “Kick-Starting Reform in Long-Term Care,” in Policy Options, and new research produced by the Centre of Excellence on the Canadian Federation and the Faces of Aging research program.
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