Aging with Dignity: Supporting Albertans as they age

The Government of Alberta has signed a five year, $627 million Aging with Dignity funding agreement with the federal government to help support Albertans as they age.

To meet the growing needs of an aging population and ensure the future of the province's continuing care system, Alberta's government has committed $1 billion over three years to transform continuing care in Alberta, including supporting initiatives that will shift to deliver more care in the community, enhance workforce capacity, increase choice and innovation, and improve the quality of care offered.

Home care initiatives will include enhancing home care services, improving access to palliative and end of life care, increasing support for caregivers, and expanding non-medical supports. Continuing care home initiatives will include supporting quality of life best practices in home care and continuing care homes, expanding continuing care workforce education, training and development opportunities, providing workforce mental health supports, and enhancing compliance and monitoring capacity for continuing care homes.

In addition to this funding, the province has allocated $654 million over three years for the Continuing Care Capital Program to improve access to continuing care spaces for Albertans, including those who no longer need to stay at a hospital but require further support. The capital funding will also support efforts to reduce emergency department wait times by freeing up more beds and making sure Albertans are getting the right supports in the appropriate setting.

By 2046, one in five Albertans will be 65 years of age or older, making up more than 1.2 million of the total population. The demand for continuing care will increase even faster due to people living longer and having more complex needs, resulting in an 80% projected increase in demand for continuing care over the next 10 years.