Our seniors are among the healthiest in Canada

B.C. seniors are living longer, healthier lives, according to a recent provincial report, A Profile of Seniors in British Columbia. Seniors in B.C. come from diverse backgrounds, many lead active lives, and 94 per cent live in the community in their own homes.

Seniors age 65 and older make up 13.3 per cent of B.C.’s population, and will increase to 24 per cent, or about 1.4 million, by 2031. We also have the most rapidly aging seniors’ population in Canada. Between 1991 and 2001, the number of seniors age 80 and over grew 54 per cent.

“This trend is expected to continue, with the most rapid growth among those 85 and older in the next five years,” says David Baxter, Executive Director of the Urban Futures Institute. “Then the trend will level off, until baby boomers begin reaching 85 two decades later.”

“The latest figures show life expectancy has increased more for men than women, even though women still live longer overall than men,” says Dr. Gloria Gutman, Director of the Gerontology Research Centre at Simon Fraser University. “As a result, more people live together as couples for longer periods than in past, and women are older by the time they live alone.”

“Increasing numbers of senior couples are more affluent than in past,” adds Baxter. “Four out of five are home owners and many have two wage earners retiring. Still, 20 per cent of seniors rent housing, and many may not have acquired much wealth in their lifetimes.”

In addition, “close to 50 per cent of unattached women live at or below the poverty line, and need access to affordable housing,” says Dr. Gutman.

Consequently, seniors need a continuum of housing options to match their needs. The vast majority do not want or need 24-hour care in an institutional setting.

Independent living units with some support services, or assisted living, provide a middle option to bridge the gap between home care and residential care. These units are private, barrier-free apartments, with support services such as meals, housekeeping, 24-hour response, assistance with medications and recreational programs.

Private sector operators have traditionally developed some assisted living units for seniors who can afford to pay market rates for this type of housing and care. Now, the province, through BC Housing in partnership with the federal government, the regional health authorities, and the private and non-profit sectors, has created the Independent Living BC (ILBC) program to provide independent living and assisted living options for seniors and people with disabilities on low to modest incomes. ILBC doesn’t replace residential care for frail seniors with complex needs; it supports seniors who need some assistance with daily activities to live independently, but don’t need 24-hour care. The program will create 3,500 independent living units across B.C. by 2006.

Trends

• Fifty-nine per cent of senior women and 45 per cent of men receive the largest share of their income from government programs.
• Higher income levels improve health and determine living conditions such as the ability to afford adequate housing and nutritious food.
• Lifelong learning is essential to health and well being.
• Low education levels are associated with poorer psychological function and less optimal health behaviours in seniors.
• About 30 per cent of city residents feel lonely and isolated.
• While most seniors are in good health, they are more likely to have chronic health problems than younger people, and older seniors have more health problems than younger seniors.
• Future seniors should be healthier. The baby boom generation will soon become seniors, and already show a lower prevalence of heart disease, high blood pressure, arthritis and functional limitations than previous generations.
• The percentage of people without children has doubled in the last twenty years, so increasing numbers of seniors will not have children to support them as they age. Society may face a growing need to address social isolation among seniors, rather than physical impairments, as a result.

Sources: A Profile of Seniors in British Columbia, 2004
David Baxter, Urban Futures Institute