< Back to News Release
Setting the Vision

The committee was tasked with a broad mandate to review public programs and services for seniors, identify the gaps that exist in meeting the needs of our aging population, and make recommendations for service delivery in the future.

The challenge of an aging population goes far beyond the responsibilities of the federal level of government as defined in the Constitution. It must be a concern for every Canadian, for every province, territory and municipality, for every business large and small, for every volunteer organization and NGO.

The federal government has a strong role to play in meeting the challenges of an aging population. In the committee’s view, the federal government has three main roles:

• To provide leadership and coordination for multi-jurisdictional approaches to addressing the needs of our aging population;
• To provide support for research, education and the dissemination of knowledge and best practices; and
• To provide direct services to certain population groups for which it has a direct responsibility.

But, meeting the challenge of an aging population will require engagement and cooperation at every level and in every quarter.

What the committee learned

We celebrate statistics demonstrating that each generation lives longer than the last. Much attention has been paid to adding years to life. The exponential growth of the oldest age groups makes front page news.

But the Special Senate Committee on Aging found another story as we travelled across the country speaking to seniors. We heard a call to recognize the place of seniors as active, engaged citizens in our society; a call to afford older Canadians the right to choose to age in the place of their choice; a call to place as much importance on adding life to years, as we do on adding years to life.

Above all, we heard a call to recognize the aging population as an opportunity for Canada.

The committee celebrates the aging of our population as a success story, but has identified gaps in services and programs which need to be addressed.

The committee learned...

Seniors are often unjustly stripped of their rights.

Seizing the opportunity of an aging population will, first of all, require that we become aware of our own stereotypes relating to aging, and of the barriers which these stereotypes have created in the life of seniors.

There is no place for ageism in a progressive country like Canada. People are capable of much more than they think they are.

Today’s seniors run marathons, overcome lifelong challenges, and volunteer countless hours. Stereotypes die hard, however, and too many seniors are limited by “self-adopted ageism” and by overt forms of ageism.

Ageism is pervasive and subtle. Turning the tide of opinion in a youth-oriented society, in such a way that the full rights of seniors are respected, will require an aggressive public relations campaign.

It will require a concerted effort to ensure that the strictest possible standards are adhered to before making competency determinations which can strip seniors of their dignity by denying them the right to make the most intimate decisions about their lives.

The committee learned...

Illogical care decisions are made because we don’t provide the right services at the right time.

Seizing the opportunity of an aging population will mean enabling a shifting of resources from the acute care health system to an integrated continuum of care which will allow people to age in the place of their choice with the right services at the right time.

The committee learned...

The unequal rate of the aging of the population across the country creates challenges for provinces to provide a comparable range of services.

Seizing the opportunity of an aging population will mean taking steps to make sure that comparable health and social services are available across the country, and that governments and service providers in regions which are aging more rapidly have the financial capacity to provide adequate choices.

The committee learned...

Some seniors live in isolation or in inappropriate homes because of inadequate housing and transportation.

Seizing the opportunity of an aging population will mean creating spaces that accommodate active aging in age-friendly cities and rural and northern areas so that our communities can meet the needs of people of all ages and ensure that structural barriers to aging in place are systematically identified and removed.

The committee learned...

Current income security measures for our poorest seniors are not meeting their basic needs.

Seizing the opportunity of an aging population will require us to recognize that different groups have different access to income and wealth in their senior years, and to acknowledge the fact that the basic income levels provided by the Old Age Security and the Guaranteed Income Supplement do not even meet the poverty line ¹. No one in Canada should be allowed to age in poverty.

The committee learned...

The current supports for caregivers are insufficient, and Canadians are forced to choose between keeping their jobs and caring for the ones they love.

Seizing the opportunity of an aging population will force us to acknowledge the value of providing care to families and friends. Like other Canadians, seniors find themselves on both the providing and receiving ends of care. We all stand to benefit from the range of supports which allow people to care for those they love.

The committee learned...

The voluntary sector, a critical component in supporting an aging population, is suffering as volunteers themselves are aging.

Seizing the opportunity of an aging population will require us to acknowledge the key role played by the voluntary sector. With adequate preparation, the voluntary sector will be able to benefit from the accumulated knowledge and experience of retiring seniors to strengthen our social fabric. At the same time, some seniors also rely on volunteers to help provide them with the programs and services they require. A strong voluntary sector is critical to meeting the needs of our aging population.

The committee learned...

Canada is facing challenges in health and social human resources as doctors, nurses and social workers are themselves aging.

Seizing the opportunity of an aging population requires that we address the human resource challenges in the health and social sectors. Canada needs an informed work force which can identify healthy aging and put high quality services in place when required. This requires education and training.

The committee learned...

Technology is providing new opportunities to deliver care.

Seizing the opportunity of an aging population at a time when technological advances are so well developed will require innovative approaches which will allow people to use technology to age in the place of their choice. Technology can be used to bridge the distance between specialists, who frequently practice in cities, and those in rural and remote communities. It can allow those with chronic conditions to be easily monitored in the comfort of their own homes.

The committee learned...

The Canadian government is both a leader and a laggard in providing care to seniors under its jurisdictional responsibility.

The opportunities of an aging population must be seized for all Canadians, including those for whom the federal government has a direct responsibility. The federal government must lead the way, both as an employer and in the role it plays meeting the needs of veterans, and those in correctional institutions. Equally important is the fiduciary responsibility of the federal government towards First Nations and Inuit communities. Federal resources for First Nations and Inuit communities must at a minimum provide a level of care comparable to other communities.

Implementing the committee’s Vision

The aging population will change the way we do things. We can allow this change to happen by passively reacting to change. Or we can anticipate it and meet the challenge by design.

We believe that in order to realize a society free of ageism, where seniors can access appropriate supports and services when they need them, where no senior is living in poverty, and adequate supports are in place for people to age in their place of choice, governments at all levels will need to work in cooperation with the private and voluntary sector to initiate change.

We feel strongly that there are certain overarching recommendations which are essential underpinnings of our plan to seize the opportunity of an aging population to build a better, more inclusive Canada. These recommendations provide a framework for the committee’s vision.

We recommend that the federal government:

• Move immediately to take steps to promote active aging and healthy aging and to combat ageism;

• Provide leadership and coordination through initiatives such as a National Integrated Care Initiative, a National Caregiver Strategy, a National Pharmacare Program, and a federal transfer to address the needs of provinces with the highest proportion of the aging population;

• Ensure the financial security of Canadians by addressing the needs of older workers, pension reform and income security reform;

• Facilitate the desire of Canadians to age in their place of choice with adequate housing, transportation, and integrated health and social care services; and

• Act immediately to implement changes for those populations groups for which it has a specific direct service responsibility, and in relation to Canada’s official language commitments.

Other recommendations found throughout this report expand upon and provide some specific means of implementing these primary framework recommendations. A complete list of recommendations can be found on page 203.

 

¹ Statistics Canada does not have an official poverty line, however many organizations in Canada use Statistics Canada’s low income cut-offs (LICOs) as a proxy for poverty. The LICOs identify Canadians who pay a disproportionate share of their income on the necessities of housing, food and clothing. This report uses the terms low income cut-offs and poverty line interchangeably.