It's very important. Is the CMA serious about it? Definitely. It's one of our most important priorities as we see our aging population going forward, and the direct and indirect costs that will have to be borne because of Alzheimer's disease--as in your family--stroke, and other chronic illnesses. The burden on our health care system and the burden on families is becoming more and more unacceptable. We need to look for better ways to strategically invest to make sure we have good value for our money.
You probably will now recognize that the burden on indirect caregivers is huge. We have to look for ways to support them, through many different ways--through the tax system, or respite care that can be provided, or other benefits such as direct pay--because 80% of the care of our elderly in long-term care circumstances is provided by informal caregivers, not the health care system, such as physicians.