MOVEMENT, COMMUNITY AND PURPOSE KEY TO ENSURE B.C. SENIORS ENJOY A HAPPY LIFE
Movement, community and purpose are the keys to ensuring B.C. seniors enjoy a happy life well into their golden years, say experts.
During Tuesday’s Conversations Live panel hosted by Stuart McNish, experts discussed ways for B.C. seniors to live a long life and prosper.
“The enemy is the sofa. Mobility is the key thing to longevity,” said B.C. seniors advocate Dan Levitt.
The panel comprised Levitt, B.C. Care Providers Association CEO Terry Lake, B.C. Securities Commission communications director Pamela McDonald, International Council on Active Aging founder Colin Milner and health care consultant Carolyn Bell.
There are 1.1 million British Columbians aged 65 and over, representing around 20 per cent of the province’s population. In a decade this number is expected to climb to 1.5 million, representing a quarter of the population.
Bell said that in 1960, there were eight people in the workforce for every one retired person in Canada. That number has now dropped to three workers for every one retired person.
She said that represented a huge drop in revenue for government that has to provide health and other services to seniors.
Research Co. pollster Mario Canseco said that half of retired people are worried about their physical and financial health, while 20 per cent are concerned about their mental health. Among working adults, 73 per cent are concerned about their financial health, 56 per cent are concerned with physical health and 48 per cent with their mental health.
Milner said that while life expectancy has grown by 30 years on average since 1900 (to around 82), retirees need to focus on extending their health span, which is the number of years you remain healthy before dying. He said that, on average, a person is not healthy for nine years before death.
“You need to move, eat well, don’t smoke or drink and have a good (body mass index). Doing that at age 50 can increase a man’s lifespan by 12 years. We know what we need to do, we are just not doing it,” Milner said.
Financial health is also very important for seniors, with Levitt noting half of retired people in Canada are living on $34,000 a year or less.
A recent Leger poll found three in 10 Canadians planning to retire in 2025 or 2026 will carry a mortgage into retirement.
According to Statistics Canada, 14 per cent of households with income earners aged 65 and over had a mortgage in 2016, up significantly from eight per cent in 1999.
McDonald said families need to talk about money before retirement, and that retirees should work with a certified financial planner.
Lake said there are 30,000 people in B.C. living in long-term care, mostly because of cognitive reasons, which means the seniors are not safe alone at home or in assisted living. He noted there is a waitlist of 3,000 people needing long-term care who either have to remain in their current homes or go into expensive private care.
Lake said seniors need to remain engaged with community and to have a purpose, whether it be maintaining a garden or owning a pet.
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2025-05-28T04:17:51Z