In this edition of Journal, we focus on how we can better serve our seniors.
Personally, I feel the longer we can support the decision of older citizens to remain in their own homes, stay in their familiar communities, living as independently as possible, the better.
It’s better for them, better for the community, and better for the government all round, given the cost and shortage of long-term care beds.
It surprised me to learn that 75% of seniors over 85 in British Columbia continue to live independently – that’s really good news. More are living longer and staying healthy. Understandably, they don’t want to be pushed prematurely into long-term care.
So what can we do as a society and as a government to support their choices? Recognizing inaction will cost governments significantly more.
Recent polls, and elections, point to the problems many families are facing with inflation: housing affordability, grocery store bills, transportation costs. These challenges are exacerbated when you are living on a fixed income or pension as so many of our seniors do.
So, increased rent means what? Less money for food? Less money for everything.
According to BC’s Seniors Advocate, “the most precarious group of seniors are the 1 in 5 who rent.” Our provincial government does have a program to aid these individuals, called SAFER, shelter aid for elderly renters. The question is, can these subsidies possibly keep up with today’s costly rental market?
Joining me to discuss some of these challenges and possible solutions is Dan Levitt, BC’s Seniors Advocate.
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