Lessons in long-term care: the benefits of a northern exposure

Canada stands as an important lesson for the United States. At the very minimum it represents the art of the possible. For those interested in long-term care, it suggests that it is possible to include long-term care in a programme of universally accessible care without national bankruptcy. Although Canada has brought medical and social services closer together and has brought acute and chronic care under the same aegis, not all the problems of coordinating such efforts have been solved. For others, the Canadian example shows that care can be provided to all persons who need it without creating uncontrollable expenses or removing families' motivations to care for their own. In so doing, universal coverage creates the opportunity for better coordination of services and ultimately for more efficient care.