Quote:
Originally Posted by CliffFletcher
As Nancy commented above, with the demographic trend Canada is on, we're going to struggle just to maintain the capacity and level of service we have, let alone improve it.
As longevity increases, so does the proportion of seniors with dementia. Care homes cost around $4k a month. Do the math and calculate how long your parents could afford a care facility at $4k a month each. And remember - that's just to maintain our current standards, not improve them.
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And that's where it's like, WTF are we even doing? Why is longevity a goal? Who wants to live into their late 80s and 90s? Of course you'll get a few CPers who will say their grandpa was sharp as a tack right up until his 97th birthday and there are those exceptions. If, however, you're living in a government-run care home for your last decade or so, that is an absolutely miserable existence. There is no way to "do better" for those people to the point of giving them a fulfilling life. They are literally waiting to die. All their milestones have come and gone. Anything they have to offer is irrelevant and unneeded.
The best we could do is give them an off ramp. "Do better" for them. Yeah, how do you do better for an 85 year old with dementia? And how much money and human resources do you throw at that for absolutely no pay off and when it isn't even benefiting anything or anyone? And dragging somebody's life out for an extra 10 years plus is cruel to them and their family who is expected to visit them and pay for them. It's stressful and takes a lot of time and energy family members may not have to spare. And it can go on for years and years.