People aged 65 and over will account for one quarter of Quebec’s population in 2031. This major demographic shift raises significant concerns and challenges for the organization of health care.  The prevalence of multiple chronic diseases has been on the rise for several years and it increases with age. In the latter years of life, this aging population is at risk of experiencing an increase in multiple health problems, requiring increasingly complex and costly needs and care. The health and social services system will need to continually adjust its service offerings to meet these changing needs.

In this study, the authors use clinical and administrative data to reconstruct the last year of care trajectories of those over 65 years of age at the time of death and then estimate the individual cost of using health and social services by age, gender, health region and cause of death. The study was conducted as part of a partnership between the École de santé publique de l’Université de Montréal (ESPUM) and the Institut national d’excellence en santé et services sociaux (INESSS).