Preferred models for aging in place
Survey respondents indicated they are likely or very likely to consider the following living environments as they age:
- Senior living with amenities (73% of respondents)
Private or shared living spaces located near local amenities, such as grocery stores, post offices and hair salons, aligned with naturally occurring retirement community models that support lower-acuity needs. - Smart home monitoring (70% of respondents)
Technology-enabled independence in private dwellings, with scalable support through sensors and wearables that alert care teams or family members as needs evolve. - Small-scale senior living (64% of respondents)
Fixed-care teams supporting individuals with higher or more complex needs.
These preferences underscore a demand for flexibility, personalization and seamless escalation of care as conditions change.
Governments are responding, but execution will matter
Recognizing the opportunity, provinces across Canada are increasing investment in home- and community-based care. Ontario and Alberta have each committed $1 billion over three years to transform delivery in this historically underfunded sector to boost connected care in a convenient way that meets their residents’ needs.7,8
Evidence supports this policy direction. Recent studies show that remote patient monitoring in the community for chronic disease management can reduce hospital readmissions by 30%–50%, generating savings of $2,000–$5,000 per patient annually.9,10 However, scaling these models effectively will depend on digital integration, workforce enablement and system-level coordination.
Persistent barriers: navigation gaps and caregiver burden
While 94% of survey respondents said they expect to use care services as they age, Canadians pointed to significant navigation and access challenges in the current care system:
- 52% rate their understanding of available care options as poor or fair.
- 78% rely on local health care providers for guidance - leaving those without access particularly vulnerable.
The system also depends heavily on unpaid caregivers. Notably, 22% of caregiver respondents provide more than 31 hours of care per week – on par with full-time employment. Half of survey respondents believe additional resources are needed to help caregivers plan and coordinate care.
Looking forward, digital tools represent an opportunity to reduce caregiver burden by simplifying coordination, improving access to information and enabling proactive support. However, these tools need to be integrated and deployed within the broader digital care ecosystem to maximize their value.
Building a technology-enabled aged care ecosystem
To meet rising demand and Canadians’ evolving expectations, the aged care sector must adopt integrated, interoperable digital solutions that support aging in place and enable seamless transitions across the continuum of care.
A foundational requirement is data interoperability, the secure exchange of standardized data across care settings. At the provincial level, this requires enabling all providers to connect to a shared digital environment spanning acute care, primary care and long-term care, and to be inclusive of nonclinical support services such as transport. Integration with consumer health technologies, including wearables, will also be essential as care teams will increasingly rely on remote patient monitoring to support care delivery in home and community settings to reduce reliance on acute care.
A future-ready data infrastructure is critical to unlocking value across the health continuum. Without it, digital investments risk adding complexity rather than delivering meaningful improvements in outcomes, patient/caregiver experiences and system sustainability.
Three priorities for health system leaders
1. Invest in prevention-focused tools and actionable data
Reducing demand on the health system requires engaging Canadians earlier and more effectively. By drawing on existing data, health systems can provide personalized health forecasts and intervention plans that support behaviour change, reduce chronic disease risk and delay functional decline. User-friendly applications can support education, self-management and navigation of the system.
For example, at Shannex, a leading senior living and care service provider in Canada, residents and members can receive regular functional health assessments, showing data on their current and projected health based on their lifestyles. They can then use these results to enroll in targeted programs that help them achieve their health goals. “We do believe there’s going to be very high demand from those seeking lifestyle and care interventions to live better, longer,” said Jason Shannon, Shannex President.
2. Enable seamless navigation and coordinated care across settings
Timely access to the right care — before a crisis — depends on transparent, connected pathways across the continuum. Yet 56% of survey respondents say it should be easier to find clear information on accessing support services.
Digital solutions, such as caregiver resource and navigation tools and virtual care platforms, can improve care transitions, reduce avoidable emergency visits and better support caregivers, who often shoulder much of the responsibility for care.
Moreover, these solutions can help alleviate caregiver burden and create a more transparent, accessible system of care. As Dr. Richard Lewanczuk of Alberta Health Services notes, “If that family caregiver burns out and just can’t cope and can’t manage, then they bring grandma or grandpa to the emergency department and they just say, I can’t manage anymore. The minute we admit them to the hospital, there’s a deterioration in physical functioning, mental functioning, and quite often people then need to be institutionalized. So, anything that we can do to support family caregivers and keep people healthy and well in their communities, that will then help people not get to the emergency department.”
3. Measure and advance digital maturity across the system
Sustainable system transformation requires understanding the current state of digital maturity across organizations and regions. Introducing new tools without a clear integration strategy risks adding fragmentation rather than value.
Health systems should assess baseline digital maturity, define integration roadmaps and scale proven solutions while maintaining a focus on health equity, data security and quality of care.
(See EY Canada’s paper on boosting digital maturity in home and community care.)
Redefining aging: meeting expectations through digital transformation
Rising demand, shifting expectations and persistent system constraints make the status quo untenable. Canadians are clear: they do not want to age in traditional institutional settings. They expect independence, choice and dignity enabled by technology and supported within their communities.
Delivering on these expectations requires digitally integrated, prevention-focused ecosystems that link care between home, community and clinical settings. Done well, this transformation can improve health outcomes, extend health span, reduce system strain and create a more sustainable future for aging in Canada.
