Canada’s population is aging and thus health care needs will rise. This report examines the need for long-term care beds over the next two decades (to 2035):

• Canada will require an additional 199,000 long-term care beds.
• Capital spending on these new beds will be $64 billion with operating expenses (to 2035) totalling $130 billion.
• However, these expenditures will have a positive effect on the economy, contributing a total of $235 billion to real GDP and accounting for 123,000 jobs each year.
• In the cost-benefit analysis, the benefits of the new beds are greater than the costs, even without considering the improved health outcomes.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Chapter 1–Introduction

Chapter 2–Forecasting the Demand for Long-Term Care

• Current Demand
• Projecting Demand Into the Future

Chapter 3–Costs

• Capital Costs
• Operating Costs

Chapter 4–Economic Impacts

• Capital Investment Impact
• Operating Cost Impact

Chapter 5–Cost-Benefit Analyses

• Cost-Benefit Analysis: Naïve (Maximum-Benefit)Scenario
• Cost-Benefit Analysis: Low-Benefit Scenario

Chapter 6–Conclusion

Appendix A–Shock Results

Appendix B–Bibliography