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Seniors

The Ministère and Seniors

The number of people aged 65 or older will grow over the next few decades. The Ministère de la Santé et des Services Sociaux is very concerned about this increase and have taken and will be taking a series of steps to ensure the well-being of this population group and to ensure that the socio-health network reflects this reality.

Services

The Orientations ministérielles sur les services offerts aux personnes âgées en perte d'autonomie (Government Orientations Regarding Services Offered Seniors Who Have Lost Autonomy) constitute the backdrop guiding service organizations regarding this large portion of the Quebec population by promoting the service integration, access to a wide range of appropriate services based on developing practices and quality interventions.

The Plan d’action 2005-2010 sur les services aux aînés en perte d’autonomie : Un défi de solidarité (2005-2010 Action Plan for Seniors Who Have Lost Autonomy: A Challenge of Solidarity) heralds a major shift regarding service organization. The steps have been put forth in order to address the expectations and needs of seniors and their informal and family caregivers, as well as the concerns expressed by society as a whole.

Thus, the integrated service networks (in french) will further foster the development of promotion and prevention activities, which are essential for Quebeckers to grow older in better health.

These service networks have made major improvements and will ensure that seniors who have lost autonomy and their families will easily and consistently receive the medical and social services that they need, whether they live at home or in a residence.

Quebec now has an overall perspective of the needs of seniors who have lost autonomy, as well as of ways to respond to these needs in the short- and long-term.

Sociodemographic Data

Which percentage do seniors represent of the population? What are their living conditions and health like? What are the main trends that can be seen at this time internationally, in long-term care service organization models and in the changes of the coverage being offered?

Forum franco-québécois sur le vieillissement et la santé

On September 26 and 27, 2005, the Forum franco-québécois sur le vieillissement et la santé (French-Quebec Forum on Ageing and Health) was held in Quebec City. This large-scale event brought together 300 experts and guests from different sectors of French and Quebec society.

Under the banner “Idées reçues, idées nouvelles” (Ideas Put Forth, New Ideas), this Forum focused on searching for best practices and their applications. It was a good opportunity to analyze certain preconceptions about the reality of ageing, discuss their foundation and bring forth any new ideas on these issues.

For more information, please consult the Participant's Book (in French).

Consultation on Seniors

Set up during the Forum des générations, held in October 2004, the task force published the report on the Full Participation of Seniors in Québec Development - To Build a Québec for all Generations. This report outlines the main observations of the consultation, followed by recommendations.

Prevention and Health Promotion

Living well as we age means continuing to learn and grow, taking care of oneself, choosing what we want to do and with whom, knowing that it is possible to age healthfully, benefiting from resources and services… These are some tips to help improve the quality of life of seniors.

Home Support

For people who need support at home, including informal caregivers and families, the Ministère de la Santé et des Services Sociaux is looking at ways to harmonize home support practices in all regions and local territories.

Living Environment

Not only does the Ministère de la Santé et des Services Sociaux aim to ensure continuous, appropriate and personalized services for people in long-term care hospital centres in a living environment adapted to their needs, but, through assessment visits, it also takes the necessary steps to improve service quality.

As part of the initiative Pour un nouveau partenariat au service des aînés (For a New Partnership Serving Seniors), the Ministère de la Santé et des Services Sociaux has set up a program to enable people with major autonomy loss to remain in their home environment. Granting subsidies for these initiatives is one of the ways of providing alternatives to institutional care.

Informal and Family Caregivers

Over the past few years, various forms of support, training and respite for those who care for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease or a related disorder were tried out and can be used as a basis.

The following document summarizes 27 inspiring and educational experiences, which incite us to build on our experiences:

Evaluation Client Needs

The Ministère has adopted a multi-clientele evaluation tool to promote the integration of services and practices for people’s well-being. The target clients are people 65 years of age and older or people who are incapacitated, have disabilities or have lost functional autonomy.

Communication Systems

To promote communication of information concerning clients in the health and social services network, over the past few years, the Ministère has set up several information systems designed for each type of institution.

The poster places the Système d’information clientèle en centre d’hébergement et de soins de longue durée (SICHELD, residential and extended-care centre client information system) and links that will eventually help support service delivery to clients or users moving between the different types of institutions in the health and social services network.

The brochure explains how the SICHELD information system works.

In order to provide a better understanding of the care and services required by long-term care hospital centre patients, the components of the information system must meet specific standards, which are outlined in the normative framework of SICHELD.

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© Gouvernement du Québec, 2006