Health-care costs will rise significantly as population ages, says new report

Canada needs to rethink its approach to health care to deal with rising costs due to an aging population, a new report says. According to the CSA Group, health care costs for anyone over 65 are about $12,000 per year, compared to about $2,700 for people under 65. The report predicts that these costs will increase significantly, and by 2040, the elderly population will reach 22% of the Canadian population.

The report emphasizes that governments should devote more resources to disease prevention, including issues related to housing, mental health and loneliness, which affect the health of older people. According to the report, Canada's health system is more focused on treating disease and less on preventive care and urgent needs in areas such as mental health.

Research shows that social isolation and loneliness can have serious health risks, such that these problems are similar or even greater than the risks caused by smoking, obesity and inactivity. Also, homelessness is another factor that exposes people to chronic diseases, and many elderly people are exposed to these problems.

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