Canada Immigration Guide: Canada is a diverse society. The lifestyles of every family and every individual are unique. The lifestyles of the elderly are also highly diverse. The state and society have established strict and detailed regulations for various choices, and also provide a variety of possible private and government assistance.
There are several ways for the elderly to live in Canada: living with family, living independently in their own homes, living in independent living senior apartments, assisted living senior apartments, or long-term care facilities for those who have lost the ability to live independently. For elderly individuals to live independently or move into independent living senior apartments, they require a certificate of independent living capability issued by a doctor. Doctors typically issue this certificate after testing the elderly person's physical, mental, and psychological condition. With such a certificate, the elderly can live independently or enter an independent living senior apartment.
To help family members caring for the elderly so that they do not suffer physical or mental health issues due to caregiving, the government provides them with regular, free psychological counseling. My good friend Miao and her husband go for such counseling every Wednesday night. There, they have met many other elderly people or family members of patients just like them. They express their stress and troubles to the psychological counselors and consult experts on difficult issues. These sessions help alleviate and release the distress in their hearts, while also providing them with expert psychological guidance and advice.
To allow family members caring for the elderly or patients to take a short break from the heavy burden of caregiving and prevent health damage due to overwork, the government also provides day care, weekly care, and monthly care for the elderly. This service is subsidized by the government, with a small fee paid by the individual.
This service comes in three forms:
Professional caregivers can be arranged to visit the elderly person's home.
Short-term care (overnight, weekend, one week, or longer) or long-term care can be booked for the elderly.
The elderly can register to attend day care (similar to kindergarten for our children).
The organizations providing these services include government-funded public institutions, government-funded private institutions, and non-profit social organizations. The staff at these institutions include employees, social workers, and volunteers. They have all undergone professional psychological and vocational training and are very professional and dedicated. They accompany the elderly in playing various games, chatting, singing, dancing, and providing services such as manicures and bathing. For elderly individuals with speech impairments caused by strokes, there are also speech therapy centers.
