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Seniors’ health

Seniors’ health kathschach

A concerted effort is needed to support Canada’s rapidly aging population. CIHI provides timely and comparable data and information to guide decisions about the health of older adults age 65+. Explore information on the health of older adults, including indicators, data tables, reports and other key resources.

Featured material

Frailty among hospitalized seniors

  • Release summary
  • April 10, 2025
Explore information and data related to the CIHI Hospital Frailty Risk Measure, an acute care contextual measure developed to characterize the risk of frailty among seniors.

Drug use among seniors in Canada

  • Release summary
  • October 20, 2022
This release describes the number and types of drugs prescribed to seniors, between 2017 and 2021 by sex, age, neighbourhood income and geographic location.

Commonwealth Fund survey, 2021

  • Release summary
  • March 24, 2022
The Commonwealth Fund International Health Policy surveys fill important information gaps by polling patients and providers in a number of developed countries. CIHI's companion reports tell the Canadian story and highlight how experiences with health care vary across Canada and how they compare with those in other countries. The 2021 edition focuses on the views and experiences of adults age 65 and older.

Indicators

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Reports and releases

See all reports and releases

Seniors’ health: Reports and releases

Seniors’ health: Reports and releases kathschach

This page lists seniors’ health reports, stories, infographics and release summaries.

Showing 1 to 10 of 89 results

Frailty among hospitalized seniors

  • Release summary
  • Published
Explore information and data related to the CIHI Hospital Frailty Risk Measure, an acute care contextual measure developed to characterize the risk of frailty among seniors.

Connected care

  • Project
  • Published
Connected Care offers a future where patients don’t need to repeat their medical history or prescriptions to every health care provider they visit.

NACRS emergency department visits and lengths of stay

  • Release summary
  • Published
Learn more about emergency department visits and lengths of stay by province and territory, based on data submitted to the National Ambulatory Care Reporting System.

Travel burden for hospital care in Canada

  • Release summary
  • Published
Learn about travel burden for hospital patients and how it varies by geography and by the type of care patients receive.

Shared Health Priorities

  • Project
  • Published
Explore indicators measuring access to home and community care and to mental health and substance use services.

Working toward achieving the Quintuple Aim

  • Report
  • Published
The analysis in this report assesses the value of hip and knee replacements from the lens of 4 of the 5 elements of the Quintuple Aim.

Seniors’ health: Data tables

Seniors’ health: Data tables kathschach

This page lists data tables that provide information about seniors’ health.

Showing 1 to 10 of 39 results

Prescribed Drug Spending in the Pharmaceutical Data Tool (XLSX)

  • Data tables
  • Published
Public drug program spending accounted for 44% of prescribed drug spending in Canada in 2021. Public drug program spending does not include spending on drugs dispensed in hospitals or on drugs funded through cancer agencies and other special programs.

Formulary Coverage in the Pharmaceutical Data Tool (XLSX)

  • Data tables
  • Published
A formulary is a list of the drugs covered for eligible populations, and the type of coverage provided. Every public drug plan or program in Canada has a unique formulary.

Prescribed Drug Use Among Seniors in the Pharmaceutical Data Tool (XLSX)

  • Data tables
  • Published
On average, seniors have a higher number of chronic conditions, and as a result they are prescribed a higher number of drugs than other age groups. The use of multiple drugs is associated with a higher risk of emergency department (ED) visits and…

Spending on High-Cost Drugs in the Pharmaceutical Data Tool (XLSX)

  • Data tables
  • Published
Spending on high-cost chemicals (those with an average cost of $10,000 or more per person per year) accounts for a large proportion of total public drug program spending. Beneficiaries for whom a public drug program paid $10,000 or more can typically be…

Spending on Biologic Drugs in the Pharmaceutical Data Tool (XLSX)

  • Data tables
  • Published
Biologic drugs, which are derived from living organisms, are structurally more complex and more expensive than traditional pharmaceuticals. Spending on biologics continues to increase in Canada, which has ranked third among Organisation for Economic Co-…

Drug Programs in the Pharmaceutical Data Tool (XLSX)

  • Data tables
  • Published
Public drug plans/programs provide drug coverage for a specific population. Federal, provincial and territorial governments offer many different drug plans/programs, most of which have defined criteria for eligibility that include things like age, income…

Reimbursement Policies in the Pharmaceutical Data Tool (XLSX)

  • Data tables
  • Published
Reimbursement policies specify the allowable limits that are placed on the costs for prescription drugs. These can include policies and limitations related to ingredient pricing, the maximum cost of generic drugs, coverage of drugs with lower-cost…

Markup Policies in the Pharmaceutical Data Tool (XLSX)

  • Data tables
  • Published
Markup policies outline the maximum amount a pharmacy can add to the cost of a drug or ingredient, above the original cost. This amount is usually stated as a percentage of the cost.

Professional Fees in the Pharmaceutical Data Tool (XLSX)

  • Data tables
  • Published
Professional fees are the amount paid to a service provider for their services. They’re typically paid to a pharmacist and include dispensing fees, compounding fees or any other special service fees. Each jurisdiction has its own policies for these fees.

Seniors' health: Indicators

Seniors' health: Indicators kathschach

This page lists CIHI’s seniors’ health indicators.

Showing 1 to 10 of 50 results

Behavioural Symptoms Improved

  • Indicator
  • Published
This indicator provides the percentage of long-term care residents whose behavioural symptoms improved.

Behavioural Symptoms Worsened

  • Indicator
  • Published
This indicator provides the percentage of long-term care residents whose behavioural symptoms worsened.

Caregiver Distress

  • Indicator
  • Published
This indicator provides the percentage of long-stay home care clients whose unpaid caregivers experience distress in a 1-year period.

CIHI Hospital Frailty Risk Measure (HFRM)

  • Indicator
  • Published
This is an acute care contextual measure developed to characterize the risk of frailty among seniors in hospitals across Canada.​ 

Death at Home or in Community

  • Indicator
  • Published
​​This indicator provides the percentage of Canadians who die at home or in the community each year.

Female Long-Term Care Residents

  • Indicator
  • Published
The percentage of residents in the long-term care facility or corporation who are female.

Seniors’ health: Tools

Seniors’ health: Tools kathschach

This page lists CIHI’s performance reporting tools that contain seniors’ health data.

Showing 1 to 7 of 7 results

Data Preview for Indicators Tool

  • Tool
  • Published
The Data Preview for Indicators web tool is used by stakeholders to review or validate their indicator results before they are made publicly available.

Interim IRRS HC Secure reporting tool

  • Tool
  • Published
The interim Integrated interRAI Reporting System Home Care (IRRS HC) Secure Reporting tool aggregates data from publicly funded home care programs in Canada.

IRRS LTC Secure Reporting tool

  • Tool
  • Published
The Integrated interRAI Reporting System Long-Term Care Secure Reporting tool aggregates pan-Canadian LTC data. Authorized users can explore organization-level data, compare results and see trends over time.

Patient Cost Estimator

  • Tool
  • Published
Estimate the average cost of various hospital services, costs incurred by hospitals and the average cost of the average typical inpatient in an acute care facility. 

Pharmaceutical Data Tool

  • Tool
  • Published
This tool provides information on use and spending for publicly funded pharmaceuticals across Canada, as well as design, payment structures and formularies of public drug programs in Canada.

Your Health System: In Brief

  • Tool
  • Published
Your Health System: In Brief is an interactive health information tool that explores the five themes that Canadians told us were the most important.

Your Health System: In Depth

  • Tool
  • Published
Explore Canadian health care and compare interactive data by hospital, long-term care organization, region and more

Seniors’ health: Data holdings

Seniors’ health: Data holdings kathschach

This page contains information about CIHI’s data holdings relevant to seniors’ health. 

Showing 1 to 8 of 8 results

Commonwealth Fund metadata

  • Metadata
  • Published
Source, data coverage, data availability, data elements and data quality of The Commonwealth Fund (CMWF).

Home Care Reporting System Metadata

  • Metadata
  • Published
Source, data coverage, data availability, data elements and data quality of the Home Care Reporting System (HCRS).

Seniors’ health: News and podcasts

Seniors’ health: News and podcasts kathschach

This page contains media releases, bulletins and podcast episodes about seniors’ health.

Showing 1 to 10 of 20 results

Shared Health Priorities indicators, June 2024

  • Bulletin
  • Published
New indicators for 4 priority areas: primary health care; health workforce and surgeries; mental health and substance use; and electronic health information.

Frailty in Canada — Dr. Marcel Émond

  • Podcast episode
  • Published
In this episode of the CHIP, guest host Jeanie Lacroix speaks with Dr. Marcel Émond, certified emergency physician at the level-1 trauma centre of the CHU de Québec — Hôpital de l’Enfant-Jésus, about the risks of frailty.

Frailty in Canada — Dr. Kenneth Rockwood

  • Podcast episode
  • Published
On this episode of the CHIP, host Avis Favaro speaks with Dr. Kenneth Rockwood, clinical research professor of frailty and aging at Dalhousie University, about the risks of frailty.

Palliative Care in Canada — Bernard Lapointe and Philippe Miquel

  • Podcast episode
  • Published
In this episode of the CHIP, host Alya Niang speaks with McGill University professor Bernard Lapointe and documentary filmmaker Philippe Miquel about the state of palliative care in Canada and why it is such a critical part of health care.

Palliative Care in Canada — Dr. Naheed Dosani

  • Podcast episode
  • Published
In this episode of the CHIP, host Avis Favaro speaks with Dr. Naheed Dosani about the state of palliative care in Canada and why it is such a critical part of health care.

Surgical Wait Times in Canada — Dr. David Urbach

  • Podcast episode
  • Published
In this episode of the CHIP, host Avis Favaro speaks with Dr. David Urbach about the causes of surgical backlogs in Canada and what could be done to fix the problems for the long term.

Seniors’ health: Education resources

Seniors’ health: Education resources kathschach

Through our Learning Centre, CIHI provides opportunities for health professionals to understand our evolving reporting systems and the application of our standards, data and analytics. We offer many courses and resources for a variety of audiences, including clinicians, assessors, data submitters and analysts, decision-makers, policy planners and researchers.

Courses and resources are available in a variety of formats, including eLearning modules, PDF and page-based documents, live and recorded web conferences, and videos.

On this page:

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With 300 learning products in a variety of areas, we’re sure to have something that meets your needs — and our online courses will always fit your schedule.

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Other education resources

Resources offered through CIHI include the following:

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