Helping Albertans age with dignity

Edmonton – Every senior in Canada deserves to age in dignity, safety, and comfort, regardless of where they live. That is why the Government of Canada is investing close to $200 billion over 10 years, which includes $5.4 billion for tailored bilateral agreements with provinces and territories on Aging with Dignity.

Randy Boissonnault, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages, and Patty Hajdu, Minister of Indigenous Services and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario, on behalf Mark Holland, Canada’s Minister of Health and Adriana LaGrange, Minister of Health for Alberta announced a bilateral agreement to invest $627 million over the next five years to help Albertans age with dignity. This funding builds on the over $1 billion bilateral agreement that was announced with the province in December of 2023, as part of the Government’s Working Together to Improve Health Care for Canadians plan.

Federal funding will support Alberta’s five-year action plan to improve health care for seniors. The plan will:

Support home, community, and palliative care services

• Improve home care services for all Albertans, particularly those in rural, remote, and Indigenous communities, and including those with complex care needs, to reduce pressures on hospitals and emergency rooms.
• Increase palliative and end-of-life care spaces and services, including coordination of care, psychosocial supports, complex symptom assessment and management, and end-of-life planning.

Expand caregiver supports

• Improve support for caregivers through increased access to respite services and expanded community day programs, and expand the reach of caregiver supports in rural Alberta.
• Offer tailored resources and programs to those who care for individuals with dementia and complex needs to support caregiver wellness.

Strengthen the continuing care workforce

• Increase training and mental health support for continuing care staff, including psychosocial supports, peer support programming, and trauma-informed care training.
• Increase recruitment and retention in difficult-to-recruit continuing care sites, programs, and positions in rural and remote areas.

Enhance compliance and improved quality of continuing care

• Support quality of life and care best practices, including a trauma-informed and culturally safe approach to care to better address the needs of those served by continuing care.
• Retrofit equipment and technology in continuing care homes to support client and resident care needs and accessibility to meaningful activities.
• Improve compliance and monitoring of continuing care homes to deliver high quality and safe continuing care services.

Progress on these initiatives and broader commitments will be measured against targets which Alberta will publicly report on annually.

Through this new agreement and the Working Together agreement signed in December 2023, Alberta will improve how health information is collected, shared, used and reported to Canadians; streamline foreign credential recognition for internationally educated health professionals; facilitate the mobility of key health professionals within Canada; and fulfill shared responsibilities to uphold the Canada Health Act to protect Canadians’ access to health care that is based on need, not the ability to pay.

Recognizing the significant disparities in Indigenous health outcomes, the Government of Canada and the Government of Alberta also commit to meaningfully engage and work together with Indigenous partners to support improved access to quality and culturally appropriate health care services. Alberta’s action plan is informed by continued engagement with its Indigenous partners. All orders of government will approach health decisions in their respective jurisdictions through a lens that promotes respect and reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples.

Alberta and the federal government will continue working together to improve access to health services and deliver results for seniors across the province, including responding to the needs of Indigenous and other underserved and disadvantaged populations.