Thanks very much, Madam Chair.
Thanks very much to our presenters for being here with us again this morning.
I want to change pace a little and ask some questions about seniors. We know that we are certainly coming up to having a large percentage of seniors in this country, and I think we have evidence that shows us that falls are the most frequent injury among seniors. We also know that many of these falls result in institutional placement and loss of independence, and all these things give rise to a far lower quality of life for our seniors.
The number of older persons in Canada is projected to increase greatly between 2005 and 2036, from 4.2 million to 9.8 million, and it is also estimated that the number of older persons who will fall at least once in 2036 will increase to 3.3 million. These figures are staggering.
We have also seen evidence that falls can be prevented through a combination of interventions, including education on their risks, how to prevent them, exercise, and those types of things.
Can you tell me what the Public Health Agency of Canada is doing to address the issue of falls in seniors?