The Monitoring Seniors Services Report released by the Office of the Seniors Advocate has some good news and some bad news. The annual report tracks trends over time for demographics, health care, completed surgeries, home support, long-term care, housing, rent and income supports, and abuse.
The good news is, B.C. seniors are living longer and staying healthier until later in life, with the percentage of the 85-plus population increasing by 10 per cent, while 65-plus, rose 15 per cent.
The bad news is, if you break a hip or need a new knee, you’re going to be waiting a lot longer — 59 per cent and 53 per cent respectively — and those waitlists continue to grow.
Even worse news is, in 2023/2024, there were 6,500 people waiting for a publicly-subsidized, long-term care bed, a 150 per cent increase from five years ago (2,600). Elder abuse is also up significantly.
Safe, affordable housing for seniors is also a real issue. According to the report, the number of applications for seniors subsidized housing was almost 14,000 in 2023/24, a 59 per cent increase over five years, while only six per cent of total applicants received a unit last year.
All of this while our aging population grows in numbers. It’s expected the number of seniors in Canada will reach close to one-fourth of the overall population by 2040, so this might be a good time for federal, provincial and municipal governments to come up with a plan.
One group caught in the crossfire of this silver tsunami is the B.C. Association of Social Workers, which supports the call of B.C. Seniors Advocate Dan Levitt, for the province to develop a cross-ministry plan to address the mashup of available services. (By the way, ice flows are not an option.)
Association president Michael Crawford, says seniors deserve better and changes are needed to not only keep pace with growing demand, but to ensure all older people feel valued and socially included.
“A cross-ministry plan holds the promise of adequately meeting the needs of seniors.”
The seniors advocate points out, the vast majority of seniors want to age in place and so the province must do a better job of “helping people live safely at home – and out of hospital and long-term care – for as long as possible.”
My wish and advice for 2025, is that governments on all levels start paying attention to the needs of seniors. I’ve met many amazing older adults since moving to the Coast six-months ago and I can tell you, there is no way this growing demographic is going down without a fight.
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