United Way to Double Regional Investment for Vulnerable Seniors: New Report Reveals Growing and Acute Need

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - Oct. 24, 2011) - A report by United Way of the Lower Mainland identifies concentrated populations of vulnerable seniors in acute need throughout the region.

A major demographic shift is under way. About 44 per cent of people in British Columbia are now either boomers or their parents. The oldest baby boomers turn 65 this year. By 2036, Metro Vancouver's 65-plus population is expected to more than double - with one in four people qualifying as a senior.

Said Michael McKnight, President and CEO of United Way of the Lower Mainland, "We need to do more to help the many vulnerable seniors living in our communities and we need to prepare for the many more to come. The issues revealed by this study are not going away – they're accelerating. Quite frankly, we are not prepared."

To that end, over the next three years United Way of the Lower Mainland will more than double its annual investment on behalf of vulnerable seniors in the region to $7 million.

McKnight is also calling for government to step up support and investment on behalf of vulnerable seniors and their caregivers. "United Way donors can't do this alone. We need the BC government to accelerate plans and provide sustained funding to allow seniors across the province to live in their own homes longer. And we need increased support for municipal initiatives that create age-friendly communities, including transportation and housing," he said.

United Way of the Lower Mainland and the provincial government's Seniors Healthy Living Secretariat are already piloting a new model of providing services – such as transportation, housekeeping, home repair, yard work, and grocery shopping – to help seniors live longer in their own homes.

Since launching the Community Action for Seniors Independence (CASI) project, more than 700 seniors have registered for services at five sites across BC: Maple Ridge, the Newton area in Surrey, the Renfrew Collingwood neighbourhood in Vancouver, Dawson Creek, and Osoyoos.

Said McKnight, "The time to act is now. We're building a successful model for a network of non-medical home supports for vulnerable seniors throughout BC."

Meanwhile, the United Way report looks at vulnerability from a number of perspectives, including socio-demographic factors (such as advanced age); economic security; mental and physical health; emotional well-being and living arrangements; housing; transportation, transit and walkability; personal physical mobility and the built environment.

Among the findings:

• In 2010, there were 316,972 seniors (65-plus) in Metro Vancouver (13% of the region's population).
• Seniors aged 85 plus are the fastest growing segment of seniors. By 2036 Metro Vancouver's 85 plus population will have increased by 200 per cent.
• Older people take fewer trips out of the home. Several communities in the region are areas with low walkability, low transit access and high concentrations of low-income older adults.
• People in our region are living longer than ever.
• Overall life expectancy ranges from 79 to 85 years in Metro Vancouver. Communities with large numbers of low-income seniors have shorter life expectancies, while those with large numbers of high-income seniors have longer life expectancies.
• Older seniors - mostly women - are more likely to be living in economic insecurity. Since 2007, things are getting worse financially for many seniors in Metro Vancouver.
• Concentrations of low-income seniors throughout the region include Maillardville/Burquitlam, South Burnaby/New Westminster, Richmond City Centre area, and the Downtown Eastside/Downtown/Mount Pleasant areas of Vancouver.
• More than one in 10 seniors renting in Metro Vancouver are spending 50 percent or more of their income on housing costs.
• The number of seniors living in the streets or staying in homeless emergency shelters is on the rise.
• About a third of seniors in Metro Vancouver consider themselves members of a minority group. This is the highest incidence of visible minority seniors in any metropolitan area in Canada.
• Fifteen percent of seniors in Metro Vancouver don't speak English or French.
• In some communities in our region more than 40 percent of seniors are living alone. Social isolation increases one's risk for poor physical and mental health.
• Almost half of all seniors in BC have a disability. As well in BC, more than one in four seniors lives with chronic disease. More than one in four 65-plus lives with chronic pain.
• The highest rates of hospitalization for anxiety disorders in general hospitals are among those aged 65-plus.
• Suicide rates among seniors are higher than for the general public, especially for men. The suicide rate for Canadian men 65-plus ranges from 14.2 to 23.8 per 100,000 persons, which is very high, compared to the overall Canadian suicide rate of 12.2 per 100,000.

The report calls for action on research, services and policy changes to improve seniors' quality of life throughout the Lower Mainland. Go to www.uwlm.ca to view the full report.