FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 8, 2001
Banff, Alberta

During the next decade, the percentage of the Canadian population over 65 will continue to increase dramatically, and many of these people will require various levels of long term care. The issue of how to ensure adequate care for our nation’s elderly has been the subject of numerous debates in Alberta and across the country, particularly during the months immediately following the federal election. Provincial symposia held in Edmonton and in Calgary in December have examined the state of home care and facilities for long term care in Alberta, and the public response to these issues in the media has been overwhelming.

"Each of us has considerable vested interest in the future of long term care of the elderly in Canada," says Andre Mamprin, director of Governance and Executive Leadership programs at the Banff Centre for Management. Furthermore, Mamprin points out, the ratio of elderly to working people is on the increase. "Today, there are seven people under 65 for every one over, with 3.3 of those seven being employed. By 2025 there will only be three people under 65 for every one over and only 1.1 of them will be working." Clearly, the need for solutions to the challenges of how to provide care for our aging population has never been more pressing. The Banff Centre for Management’s Long Term Care Symposium, January 17-19, will address these challenges and develop community-based solutions.

The Symposium will focus on combining five key areas into a community-based model for long term care: care provision, housing, financing, municipal land management, and quality of life issues. "The traditional paradigms of both government funding and current acute and long term health care models are facing enormous pressures," says Mamprin, "and we intend to examine better ways to respond to this challenge collectively and effectively." Participants in this month’s symposium at The Banff Centre include senior leaders from across Canada in a number of sectors: provincial ministers; long term care facility CEOs and directors; directors of community care provision; doctors and nurses; researchers; pharmaceutical company representatives; community support groups; and financial strategists.