Seniors' perceptions of and attitudes toward the British Columbia continuing care system

This paper presents the findings of a study of 300 British Columbia seniors living independently in the community, in regard to their knowledge of and attitudes toward the continuing care service delivery system. The study also examined their preferences regarding the type of care they would like to receive if they were to become sick or disabled for an extended period. Seniors living in the community were relatively unaware of the range of formal care services available and how to access them. They were interested in potential new services such as "handyman" services and a medical alert system, and were relatively willing to pay fees for most continuing care services. However, the more "medically" oriented the service (e.g., home nursing care), the less willing they were to pay for it. With regard to care preferences if they were to become sick or disabled, the most popular alternative among those interviewed was to stay at home and receive care from local community agencies.