Imagine if we met such questions of aging as Where will I live? What will I need? Who will take care of me? in an integrated way that plans for the full spectrum of seniors’ needs with optimism, creativity and compassion.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to confront the glaring failures and devastating effects in our current long-term care systems.

It has exposed a system where the demand for senior care and services have far exceeded available resources. Canadians must now consider what it might be like to grow old and depend on the system as it currently exists. However, Canadians seem united in a desire to invest in a system of quality elder care.

A recent Angus Reid poll shows that three out of four Canadians believe that long-term care is in need of a major overhaul. 60% of Ontarians (55% nationwide) are willing to pay with higher taxes (2%) to make the changes necessary to improve long-term care systems.

Now is the time to make the important and desperately needed changes at all levels of government.

In my career, I have worked in health and long-term care, from front-line nurse to C-suite. I have been keenly drawn to the needs for care, housing and support services for seniors. Of note, I have witnessed the significant demographic shifts and changing needs of those entering long-term care. Long-term care homes are now serving older residents with much more complex healthcare needs.

This can be attributed to in-home supports from informal and formal caregivers, to help elders to stay in their own homes longer. This is very positive and validates that with adequate services for both caregivers and care recipients the need for transition to a long-term care environment can be delayed or deferred.

The community and long-term care systems have been under-resourced well before the pandemic surfaced. There is no easy fix but the solution starts with an integrated approach that provides a continuum of care – where community support services including transportation, housing options and long-term care home beds are available and easily accessible to the people who need them most.

Canada needs the creation of adequately resourced options for healthy aging in quality living and care environments.

“Campuses of care” or seniors’ care villages are good examples of such environments and I have experienced first-hand the multi-faceted benefits of these settings.

In some cases, campuses of care have embraced relationships with academic institutions, whereby they provide rich education and real life training opportunities for programs well beyond the obvious health and social services. Essential workers are not just nurses but also include a range of allied professions and therapies to enable seniors to remain healthy, safe, independent and active.

Trent University, where I am currently serving as chair of the Board of Governors, is located in Peterborough, Ontario – a vibrant and dynamic community that happens to have one of the highest proportions of seniors in the country. In a recently-announced collaboration, a new, integrated seniors’ village will be constructed on the University’s Symons Campus. As we improve access to long-term care services in our area, our community will be enriched by advanced research on aging, enhanced student learning, and programming that integrates both academic campus life and care campus life.

Debra Cooper Burger is chair of Trent University’s Board of Governors and a leader in health care delivery, development of integrated health care programs and operations responsive to community needs. Ms. Cooper Burger has held leadership roles with organizations including Peterborough Community Access Centre, St. Joseph’s at Fleming, and the Unionville Home Society in Markham.

This article was originally published in Durham Metroland.