Are you currently managing three or more chronic conditions? Patients Canada is partnered with health researchers at McMaster University and The University of Alberta to gain an understanding of how older adults manage their chronic conditions. The project is open to residents of Southern Ontario and Edmonton, Alberta or surrounding communities.
The headline for the July 29th New York Times article read “Scientists Seek to Rein in Diagnoses of Cancer.†The accompanying article discusses the fact that many diagnoses of cancer are of conditions that, though pre-malignant or not life-threatening, are labelled as cancer and frighten patients into seeking “what may be unneeded and potentially harmful treatments.â€
Have you ever had trouble finding health and social services in your community that meet your needs? The People, Health Equity and Innovation (PHI) Group at the University Health Network is developing a web-based tool to help seniors, their family caregivers, and health professionals find health and social services in their communities.
January 2, 2012 - Today we received Health Care in Canada, 2011: A Focus on Seniors and Aging from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI). The report considers the health status of Canadians and recognizes the growing need to provide more ongoing support for people with chronic conditions. It declares that 48% of people aged 45-64 and 76% of people over 65 reported at least one chronic condition. “With increasing age the likelihood of having at least one chronic condition also increased†(19).
Access to health care was more closely correlated to the number of chronic conditions that people have than to age. And self-reported poor health status was similarly correlated with the number of chronic conditions. In 2009, 74% of seniors with only one chronic condition reported good self-perceived health, compared with only 27% of those with four or more†(19).