B.C.’s Seniors Advocate, Isobel Mackenzie, released a seniors housing report last week that demonstrates a genuine need for increased financial support for low and moderate income seniors in this province. The report provides 18 recommendations on ways to assist seniors with reducing the burden of housing costs and providing more options for seniors to ensure they can live as independently as possible for as long as possible. According to the report, 93 percent of B.C. seniors live independently and their greatest concern is financial need. Half of seniors in our Province live on $24,000 per year or less and more than 50,000 seniors are living on $20,000 or less. Average rents for a one-bedroom apartment vary from a high of $1,038 in Vancouver to a low of $547 in Quesnel, meaning that seniors are making ends meet by either living in substandard housing or foregoing other basic needs. While this report focuses on the growing housing needs of seniors around the province, it also speaks to the need for options that allow seniors to age in place, close to the communities they are familiar with. According to a Vancouver Sun article by columnist Daphne Bramhan, “A substantial percentage of low-income seniors are prematurely moved to more expensive and in-demand beds in residential care facilities — nursing homes — because of an illogical, ill-founded regulation.” United Way managed program, Better at Home, provides seniors with a variety of supports designed to help them age independently in their homes and remain connected to their community. Another factor greatly affecting the health of seniors is issue of social isolation. Earlier this year, the Canadian National Seniors Council (NSC) met to consider ways to encourage and facilitate communities to establish meaningful contact with socially isolated seniors in their neighborhoods. Their report,“Social Isolation of Seniors” provides a summary of the consultation findings as well as measures to help address this social issue. According to the report, “approximately 50 percent of people over the age of 80 report feeling lonely”. This report, along with the B.C. Seniors Advocate report, calls for greater commitment from all levels of government to address seniors housing options and ensure that elderly citizens are encouraged to age in place.
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