•;Reducing the pressures on you and
your family and possibly speeding up
recovery
•;Reducing the amount of care you may
need in the future
•;Helping make our health system
sustainable as the population grows
and ages.
Enhancing care in the community is
the strategy for ensuring the right care is
provided in the right place. And it will
ease the pressure in our hospitals and
emergency departments.
1 Home is healthier
And it’s where patients and families
want to be. It’s where they feel safe
and it’s where they feel the most
connected to the people in their lives.
As well, people gain strength and
energy faster when they recover
at home. They have an easier time
walking and moving, and they can
avoid falls and infections.
2 Albertans want to be healthier
For life. Enhancing care in the
community means better health and
better healthcare, at a cost Albertans
can afford.
3 Alberta’s hospitals and emergency
departments are overflowing
By enhancing care in the community,
we can ease pressures on hospitals
and build the right services to
support Alberta’s growing and
aging population. Since 2010, AHS
has opened 6,196 new spaces for
individuals who need facility-based
care and supports. The investment
in community health services
is reducing overall increases to
healthcare costs in Alberta.
What is community-based care?
Enhancing care in the community is a
team approach to healthcare, with you
and your family at the centre. It brings
together programs such as primary care,
home care, mental health, nutrition and
public health. And it links primary care,
Increasingly, however, people who
both receive and deliver healthcare
recognize that, for many people, the best
place for healthcare is at home, or as
close to home as possible.
That’s what enhancing care in the
community is about—offering the best
care where it makes the most sense. It’s a
new and different way of thinking about
how to provide healthcare and how to
help you be your healthiest. It brings
healthcare to you, in your community
or even in your living room. Most
importantly, it puts you first by:
•;Helping you stay healthy and better
understand the risks of illness
•;Making you an active partner in your
health to improve your quality of life
In Alberta, and around the world, people share common
views about health. They want to feel well, be well and be
independent—throughout their lives. They want healthcare
services to be there for them when they need them, and
they want their care to be close to home.
