Calgary Herald columnist says we can no longer ignore the needs of seniors
At BC Care Providers Association, we meet regularly with elected officials at all levels of government to familiarize them with the urgent issues facing society when it comes to our frail and elderly population. It is our hope that they are listening, but one writer suggests that they are not.
Longtime Calgary Herald columnist Catherine Ford argues that we are ignoring the significant gaps in Canada’s infrastructure and in the workforce to deal with an aging population. She puts that responsibility on the shoulders of our elected officials.
In her column titled “Politicians neglect growing need for seniors care at our peril,” lays out some of the stark reality we face.
“No party is running on a platform of providing for seniors beyond the bland and soporific statements about honouring our elderly,” says Ford.
“Despite having more than 65 years to deal with and provide for what any simpleton could have predicted” governments failed to make investments in infrastructure and personnel training to meet the growth in our aging population.
“In two years, the number of people over 65 will surpass the number of children. Today, 16.9 per cent of the population range in age from 0 to 14; 16.9 per cent are older than 65.
“The problem isn’t so much age, but accommodation. There are not nearly enough spaces or trained caregivers to provide for seniors who need both.”
Ford reminds readers of some important facts.
- “The average life expectancy at birth in Canada is nearly 82 years, largely because of modern medicine, nutrition, clean water and a host of modern advances. You will live longer than your parents.”
- “One of the obvious reasons for concern about care for the elderly is Canada’s low birth rate. My husband’s mother came from a family of 11 children; my father’s mother from a family of eight; I’m from a family of three. For older generations, no one needed to worry about being cared for — there was always enough family around. From a statistical high of 4.8 children per woman in 1900, there is a low of 1.49 today.”
- “Seniors account for 40 per cent of hospital stays and are responsible for 50 per cent of all health-care spending. Those are today’s statistics. Just wait until the generation behind me, the baby boomers, start to need increasing care.”
- “Most depressing is the numbers have been known for more than 60 years.”
She puts her questions directly to our politicians.
“Who will care for you? What will you do in office to address this? Listen carefully for the answers.”
We recommend that you (and especially our politicians) read Catherine Ford’s full column here.
