Community care for Canadian seniors: an exercise in educational planning

Abstract

This paper outlines the demography of disability among Canada's elderly population, and examines whether services such as Home Care and the Extramural Hospital programmes are meeting the needs of disabled, as opposed to sick, housebound elderly. In the future, an increasing number of rehabilitation professionals will provide services in community-based programmes rather than in hospitals and other health care institutions. A description is given of planned changes in occupational therapy and physical therapy curricula designed to prepare students to work effectively with disabled older persons in the community.

Key Words:

• community-based rehabilitation
• long-term care
• education and training