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RBC’s largest gift to date in Alberta to help fund a new Seniors Health Campus.
Seniors are the fastest growing age group in Canada and by 2019, experts estimate that 39 per cent more seniors aged 75 plus will access healthcare in Alberta. To help prepare for this, RBC is donating $2 million towards the development of a new Seniors Health Campus. Led by Reach!, a joint fundraising initiative of the Calgary Health Region and the University of Calgary, the campus will be a physical and virtual centre of excellence for seniors’ health, offering a variety of health programs and services to support healthy aging.
While the majority of older Canadians rate their health positively, injuries among seniors are a key concern because of the sharp increase in the rate of injuries and injury-related deaths as we age. RBC’s partnership with Reach! will focus on injury and falls prevention for seniors – an existing Calgary Health Region initiative that will become a flagship program of the Seniors Health Campus once it is developed. The program will be expanded over the next several years to include home and community care, and emergency or acute care. Its objective is to see a 20 per cent decrease in falls among seniors in our community after three years. The Calgary Health Region provides services to residents living within its regional boundaries, as well as residents of Alberta and other provinces.
“Falls are a leading cause of injury-related deaths among seniors, and a leading cause of loss of independence,” says Jack Davis, President & CEO of the Calgary Health Region. “Plus, the cost burden to health care is huge – hip fractures alone cost the Calgary Health Region $31.7 million last year. Falls however are not an inherent part of aging, and most of them are preventable. Our goal is to have the healthiest community in Canada and this gift from RBC will help the seniors in our community lead happy and productive lives.”
The Seniors’ Health Campus is part of a broader, $300 million Reach! fundraising effort that focuses on four key themes; building healthy communities, innovating the patient experience, attracting the best and the brightest and equipping for excellence.
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