Summary
As the population ages, existing approaches to help older adults remain at home and in their community are falling short. Despite a preference to age in place, many older adults spend time in long-term, critical, or palliative care.
By 2036, approximately 25% of people in Canada will be aged 65 or older, intensifying pressures on healthcare systems already challenged by capacity limits, workforce shortages, and disease burden. Emerging and existing technologies offer promising ways to support the independence, safety, and wellbeing of older adults while enabling them to remain at home longer, potentially improving quality of life and easing demands on caregivers and the healthcare system. However, uptake remains limited due to fragmented regulation, slow and resource-constrained health systems, the enduring digital divide, and persistent access inequities.