Canadians have little confidence in the ability of the health-care system to meet the needs of a burgeoning number of seniors and they are looking to government to shift their priorities and come up with a coherent plan.
That's the message that emerges from a new poll commissioned by the Canadian Medical Association.
"The anxiety Canadians have about health care in their so-called golden years is both real and well-founded," said Anna Reid, outgoing president of the CMA.
Nationwide, three in five respondents said they believed there would not be sufficient hospital beds, long-term care and home-care services to meet demand in their golden years.
However, there are significant regional differences. In Quebec, for example, 56 per cent of those polled said the health system is ready for the so-called grey tsunami, compared to 31 per cent in Atlantic Canada.