OTTAWA Ontario's health system is confusing and hard to navigate for the sickest seniors, and a majority have run into problems that lead to poor care, according to a new survey that asks older Ontarians about their health-care experiences.

The report by The Change Foundation, a Toronto think-tank, finds that older voices are often the faintest with many of the seniors surveyed saying they feel ignored or let down by health-care providers, who work in a patchwork of fragmented and badly organized services.

And because of poor information sharing among family doctors, hospitals, nursing homes and home-care agencies, seniors often run into problems, or fall through the cracks entirely, as they are transferred from one provider to another.

The picture that emerges points to shortcomings in a system that remains well suited for patients needing acute, short-term care, but is not equipped to deal with a growing number of seniors suffering from chronic illnesses, who are among the heaviest users of health services.

Instead of reflecting the concerns of health-care insiders, the report gives voice to patients and their families, who are often the best placed to spot problems, said Cathy Fooks, chief executive of The Change Foundation.

"They're really the only people who see the entire trip through the system. Providers interact at various stages in time, but they don't really see the whole process of patients trying to navigate the system."

Of 138 seniors interviewed more than half said they had experienced a disruption in health services because of a communication breakdown among providers, or between providers, themselves and their caregivers.

Only 20 per cent of seniors surveyed said they had never had a problem.

"Seniors and caregivers don't want the moon; they don't necessarily even want more. Their most frequent calls for change revolve around co-ordination and communication," the report said.

The communications gap often starts with family physicians as they refer patients to specialists.

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Ontario health system confusing for ailing seniors, study finds