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Eldercare Review | Thursday, October 08, 2026
Home care and community support services in Canada are moving toward more connected models as providers combine in-person help with remote monitoring, caregiver communication and community navigation. Aging in place is no longer only about staying inside the home. It depends on whether older adults can remain safe, engaged and supported within their wider community.
CIHI tracks home care as a major health system topic and works with governments and other partners to address information needs across home and long-term care. CIHI also reports that around 7.5 percent of households received home care services in the past 12 months, based on the 2024 Canadian Community Health Survey.
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This data focus matters because Canada needs better visibility into who receives care, what services are delivered and where gaps remain. Home care outcomes are harder to measure than hospital episodes because services happen across private homes, family networks and community agencies.
A new National Standard of Canada is also emerging in this space. Health Standards Organization lists CAN/HSO 35001:2026 Home Care and Support Services as a net new standard built from earlier home care and home support standards, with input from people with lived experience, community leaders, researchers and policymakers.
Standards could play an important role in achieving quality, safety and person-centered care. These become particularly relevant in situations where the care delivery requires multiple organizations, informal caregivers and community partners. Having clear standards helps improve the coordination and evaluation of the service delivery.
Technological advancements have become an integral component of this trend. A study conducted in 2026 and devoted to geriatric remote monitoring described the development of privacy-safe, plug-and-play systems for distant family caregivers that were designed to provide action-oriented information based on the Geriatric 4Ms framework covering what matters most, mentation, mobility and medication.
In Canadian home care settings, remote monitoring could contribute to early recognition of changes in patient activity, mobility and routine. It could assist in recognizing the risks of falls or medication omission and social isolation before the situation develops into an emergency. The strongest use cases will combine digital signals with human follow-up.
Community support is equally important. The research conducted on aging-in-place technology suggests that the care infrastructure should transcend the concept of independence and look at the broader aspect of community interactions. Technology can facilitate the care process rather than replace it.
This is an important lesson. While a sensor can identify a lack of activity, it is only a community worker, family member or care coordinator who must respond. A navigation application may be able to help an elderly person gain access to transportation or meal services.
This is a problem of integration. There are multiple organizations that have their own scheduling, clinical and referral systems. It is often difficult for families to understand who they should contact in case any changes occur. Better coordination tools can help, but they must fit local service networks and privacy rules.
The next phases of aging-at-home support will likely favor providers that connect technology with community services. Remote monitoring alone is not enough.
Home care and community support services in Canada are becoming connected aging-in-place systems. Their value will be measured by whether they help older adults remain safe, reduce isolation and link care needs to timely human support.
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