Poverty incidence among Canadian seniors and the elderly has been found rising based on a comprehensive study on global pensions of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

According to the report, while poverty rates among the senior and elderly populace dropped in many OECD member countries between 2007 and 2010, it was a reverse in Canada, which jumped by 2 percentage points.

A combination photo shows an elderly couple salvaging food from trash bags thrown out of a flooded store on November 4, 2012 (top) and a view of pedestrians walking past the same corner in the Coney Island neighborhood of the Brooklyn borough of New York on October 24, 2013 (bottom). REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

As a result, the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) urged the federal government to develop a national seniors care strategy that will prioritize the needs of the aging Canadians. The CMA feared the ballooning poverty rates will greatly strain Canada's healthcare system.

The CMA said as of 2009, nearly half of Canada's health care spending were used for the needs and requirements of patients aged 65 and above.

"By 2036 one-quarter of Canadians will be over the age of 65," Dr. Louis Hugo Francescutti, CMA President, said in a statement.

"That is why the CMA has called on the federal government to collaborate with provincial, territorial and municipal governments to establish and invest in a pan-Canadian strategy for seniors' care."

Canada's seniors and elderly mostly depend on income culled from pensions, according to the OECD report.

"As private pensions are mainly concentrated among workers with higher earnings, the growing importance of private provision in the next decades may lead to higher income inequality among the elderly," the report warned.

"Those facing job insecurity and interrupted careers are also more exposed to the risk of poverty because of the lower amounts they can devote to retirement savings," it added.

The CMA appealed to the federal government to develop a strategy where adequate investment in long-term care, home care and palliative and end-of-life care to ensure access to the continuum of care is highly implemented. Likewise, it stressed that investment in programs to address age-related health risks of particular concern, notably dementia and injuries due to falls should also be factored in.

"We know that nine out of 10 Canadians (93 percent) believe Canada needs a pan-Canadian strategy for seniors' health care at home, hospitals, hospices and long-term facilities," Francescutti said.

"We also know a similar percentage of Canadians (89 percent) believe a national strategy for seniors should involve all levels of government," he added.