Thank you.
It is an important question that you raise, and there probably isn't one perfect solution. I certainly agree with the other witnesses that one-to-one education is key. That's certainly something that Partnership Against Cancer would support through its interactions with the health system, in particular, cancer centres that deliver care directly to the patients but also consider that the families are part of that care team and can also be very important facilitators and advocates for elderly parents or their own spouses.
We do, through Cancer View Canada and the portal, have a number of resources available. There is a significant number of the elderly or aging population that is online and quite active. So in addition to the education programs at direct point of care, there is an ability for people to access information through online tools, trusted information, and certainly a number of the organizations represented today have very trusted and credible information available online.
We also support partnerships where information exists. In the Canadian Virtual Hospice, for example, a website that provides information to caregivers, particularly around end-of-life issues, there is certainly a point around self-management being the key to good wellness and prevention and ongoing good health for those who suffer from a chronic disease. But many diseases are life-limiting and life-threatening, and we have to address the palliative end-of-life care needs.
The other piece related to our first nations, Inuit, and Métis communities is it is extremely important that the information and resources made available in those communities are culturally appropriate and relevant. It is not a one-size-fits-all solution for rural or remote and far northern communities. Similar to the diabetes educators, there are community health workers in first nations communities who also look at cancer prevention and cancer screening, and we have to recognize the limitations and capacities in those communities. So disease-by-disease solutions are often going to be very difficult for them to implement, given that they are addressing so much burden within the communities also related to social determinants of health, which have been raised here today.
Those are some of the key things that need to be addressed.