MARY SANCHEZ COMMENTARY
Baby boomers face their biggest challenge
By MARY SANCHEZ
The panic strikes during the most mundane parts of my daily routine.
Dial mother’s house, the same number she has had for more than 40 years. And the phone rings ... and rings and rings. Has she fallen?
On the weekly grocery store trip, I feel the adrenaline for the 30 seconds I leave her alone at the curb so she doesn’t have to walk the uneven pavement of the parking lot. I rush to pull the car around — quickly, before some creep spies her as an easy target for a purse snatching.
Both of my parents reached this stage of life, when children are still children but become guardians for the simple reason that we can walk fast, turn quickly and lift the things that need to be lifted.
Father is gone five years now. Mother is bravely carrying on as her mobility wanes. “Frail” is the first word that usually comes out when friends inquire about my mother. Thankfully, it is usually followed by “witty” and “pretty spry for 87 years old.”
I thought of my mother when I heard the news that the first baby boomer has applied for Social Security benefits. For almost 62 years Kathleen Casey-Kirschling has had the distinction of being the nation’s oldest baby boomer. Now she’s retiring to a home in Maryland with her husband, who is also turning 62 next year.
What brought mother to mind was the realization that we do not as a nation grasp what this demographic shift will mean. Not financially, not legislatively, not emotionally. The baby boom generation of 80 million will soon enough be edging toward death. Who will care for them, and how?
By next year, 365 more boomers will join Casey-Kirschling every hour, turning 62 and becoming eligible to tap into Social Security.
The commissioner of Social Security is fond of referring to this new turn for the boomers as “America’s silver tsunami.” Tsunami, of course, never portends to anything positive.
In 10 more years, the pool of funds that is Social Security will be upended — meaning that more will be going out than will be coming in.
Medicare currently covers about 44 million people. By 2030, the number will be 79 million.
Technically, I’m a baby boomer as well, but barely. I arrived at the end of the birthing boom that lasted from 1946 to 1964. And so I expect to feel the effects of how society shifts as my elder boomers continue to age.
Few people want to discuss, much less fully plan for, their own demise quite as honestly as baby boomers need to right now. We’d all like to think that we will “grow old gracefully,” be able to look back on a “purpose-driven life” and a bookshelf full of other soothing clichés about aging.
Yet how many realize what the end is really like these days? We lurch toward death, suffering a fall, a stroke, a heart attack — and then recover. But often not to the same level of health as before, until the next medical incident and a little more physical strength is sapped. Dying really is a process.
It’s an expensive process as well, but the costs are not as apparent as they should be. According to AARP, 34 million people, usually women, provide an average 21 hours of uncompensated care a week to an elderly relative — a lot of them while still trying to work full-time. This has had an effect on productivity in the workplace and family finances.
Equally concerning is the fact that the average caregiver is a 46-year-old working woman. Often she will find it necessary to cut back on her own work to care for a relative, eroding her wages, benefits and the money she can offer her family. The danger is that, over the long term, people in this situation limit their ability to save for their own retirements.
With the vast demographic shift upon us, will this burden be too much to bear?
Baby boomers like to tout the impact they’ve had on every aspect of life — how they have changed the nation, often for the better, by ushering in new forms of equality, reforming education and even revolutionizing attitudes about aging (“40 is the new 30!”).
Soon the boomers will face their own mortality. Like my mother, everyone who reaches their “golden years” deserves to live them in dignity. But for that to happen, boomers need to begin seriously considering how they will live out their last years and, yes, how they will die.
It will be their greatest challenge yet.
To reach Mary Sanchez call 816-234-4752 or send email to msanchez@kcstar.com.
Boomer Dream Homes
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Baby boomers a 'wasteful generation': ageing summit
Baby boomers a 'wasteful generation': ageing summit
Posted 11 hours 10 minutes ago
A two-day summit on the ageing population in New South Wales has been told reform is needed to deal with the huge number of older people expected by the year 2030.
NSW Premier Morris Iemma told the summit that in a decade's time there will be more people over the age of 65 than under 14.
Population forecaster Phil Ruthven also addressed the summit, saying the baby boomer generation has been wasteful.
"Probably only about one third of baby boomers have saved or invested enough to retire on a comfortable income," he said.
"The other two thirds are going to be dependent on some of welfare, pensions and certainly health care services."
Posted 11 hours 10 minutes ago
A two-day summit on the ageing population in New South Wales has been told reform is needed to deal with the huge number of older people expected by the year 2030.
NSW Premier Morris Iemma told the summit that in a decade's time there will be more people over the age of 65 than under 14.
Population forecaster Phil Ruthven also addressed the summit, saying the baby boomer generation has been wasteful.
"Probably only about one third of baby boomers have saved or invested enough to retire on a comfortable income," he said.
"The other two thirds are going to be dependent on some of welfare, pensions and certainly health care services."
Microsoft, Miami Offer Seniors Free Computer Training, Customized PCs
Microsoft, Miami Offer Seniors Free Computer Training, Customized PCs
New technology packages from Microsoft, tailored to seniors, complement training at neighborhood senior centers in Miami.
October 29, 2007: 12:00 PM EST
MIAMI, Oct. 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Microsoft Corp. and the City of Miami -- both leaders in digital inclusion -- today announced eSeniors, a public-private partnership that will provide free computer training and the opportunity to purchase customized technology packages to Miami seniors at learning hubs located in neighborhood senior centers throughout the city.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGO)
"eSeniors aims to provide Miami seniors with technology tools and training that can empower them to improve their quality of life, simplify many everyday tasks, access community and government services more easily, and participate fully in our increasingly digital society," said Miami Mayor Manny Diaz.
The eSeniors program is part of ELEVATE Miami, a broad initiative designed to enable all Miami residents to participate and compete in the digital economy. For eSeniors, the City of Miami is providing free training and computer access at senior centers, using recycled computers equipped with the Windows XP operating system, the Microsoft Office system and Microsoft Encarta. In June 2007, Mayor Diaz received the prestigious City Livability Award from the U.S. Conference of Mayors in recognition of ELEVATE Miami's comprehensive and innovative approach to the reduction of poverty, which includes digital inclusion as one of its four cornerstones.
"As personal computers and the Internet become increasingly important in our society, many seniors are being left out, not because of too little interest but because of too little access and too few opportunities to learn the necessary skills," said Rob Sinclair, director of the Accessibility Business Unit at Microsoft. "Miami is providing a model for other cities to follow by making it easy for seniors to get the tools and training they need to gain full membership in today's digital lifestyle."
New Senior PC Technology Packages Available Online
As part of the eSeniors initiative, Microsoft is releasing several technology packages tailored to the needs and interests of seniors. The new technology packages are available to seniors who want to purchase a computer of their own, or to adult children who may want to buy a computer for their parents.
People can choose either a desktop or notebook HP computer running Windows Vista and Microsoft productivity software geared toward seniors. In addition, the senior PC packages come with a color printer and software applications designed to help seniors manage their household tasks, keep track of their prescriptions, and sharpen memory with games. Seniors can also choose a larger keyboard or trackball mouse for easier typing and mouse pointing. One package, available only in a desktop model, includes the Spanish-language version of Windows Vista.
All the technology packages can be purchased online at http://www.microsoft.com/enable/aging/seniorpc.aspx. To make the technology packages more affordable, any Miami senior who completes the city's training program will receive a voucher to help offset the cost of purchasing a computer for his or her home.
Microsoft and City of Miami Partnership Empowers Seniors
For Microsoft and Miami, the new eSeniors program is an extension of longstanding commitments to digital inclusion and service to seniors, and their shared belief that technology can serve as an equalizer for people of all ages, removing workplace barriers and increasing employment opportunities while reducing social isolation.
"Gaining new technology skills and access to accessible technology will give many seniors a wider range of social and economic opportunities, enabling them to change careers, work part-time, stay employed longer, and expand their ability to contribute to their communities through volunteering," said Lori Parham, Florida state director for AARP. "By bringing seniors into the digital age, Microsoft and Miami are empowering them with more choices about how they live their lives."
In addition to being part of ELEVATE Miami, eSeniors is an extension of the successful eParks program that began in 2004 and now offers technology training and computer access to children, their parents and other Miami residents at 27 city parks. To reach seniors more effectively, the city decided to set up similar learning hubs in senior centers, starting with two centers to establish the model, and expanding to 10 senior centers by early 2008.
"Mayor Diaz and the Miami city commissioners have shown tremendous vision in reaching beyond traditional strategies to find creative ways to help the people of Miami participate in the digital age," Sinclair said. "Microsoft is proud to partner with the City of Miami on providing seniors with new opportunities, and we look forward to working on similar initiatives with other U.S. cities."
City of Miami
Elevate Miami is a program that prepares all residents of Miami for a leadership position in the global economy, creating unparalleled areas of opportunity by establishing public and private partnerships which facilitate access to affordable technology, including mobile and low-cost internet access, and therefore enhancing the quality of life for all Miamians. ELEVATE MIAMI seeks to reach this goal through a multi-faceted approach that incorporates the following: eParks -- equips 27 City of Miami parks with 264 computers and offers open lab hours available to all residents; eSenior Centers -- equips senior centers with computers and offers computer literacy training to the elderly (currently available in 2 senior centers with 142 seniors attending training); Education Compact -- creates a Curriculum for all sixth graders which integrates technology and life experiences. If students meet the expectations of the program, they will earn a computer.
About Unlimited Potential
Microsoft Unlimited Potential expands and accelerates Microsoft's commitment to facilitate sustained social and economic opportunity for the more than 5 billion people living in every country around the world who do not today benefit from technology. More information about Unlimited Potential is available at http://www.microsoft.com/unlimitedpotential.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
For more information about Microsoft and Miami computer access programs for seniors, please visit:
http://www.microsoft.com/enable/aging
http://www.microsoft.com/industry/government/digitalinclusion.mspx
http://www.elevatemiami.com
New technology packages from Microsoft, tailored to seniors, complement training at neighborhood senior centers in Miami.
October 29, 2007: 12:00 PM EST
MIAMI, Oct. 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Microsoft Corp. and the City of Miami -- both leaders in digital inclusion -- today announced eSeniors, a public-private partnership that will provide free computer training and the opportunity to purchase customized technology packages to Miami seniors at learning hubs located in neighborhood senior centers throughout the city.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGO)
"eSeniors aims to provide Miami seniors with technology tools and training that can empower them to improve their quality of life, simplify many everyday tasks, access community and government services more easily, and participate fully in our increasingly digital society," said Miami Mayor Manny Diaz.
The eSeniors program is part of ELEVATE Miami, a broad initiative designed to enable all Miami residents to participate and compete in the digital economy. For eSeniors, the City of Miami is providing free training and computer access at senior centers, using recycled computers equipped with the Windows XP operating system, the Microsoft Office system and Microsoft Encarta. In June 2007, Mayor Diaz received the prestigious City Livability Award from the U.S. Conference of Mayors in recognition of ELEVATE Miami's comprehensive and innovative approach to the reduction of poverty, which includes digital inclusion as one of its four cornerstones.
"As personal computers and the Internet become increasingly important in our society, many seniors are being left out, not because of too little interest but because of too little access and too few opportunities to learn the necessary skills," said Rob Sinclair, director of the Accessibility Business Unit at Microsoft. "Miami is providing a model for other cities to follow by making it easy for seniors to get the tools and training they need to gain full membership in today's digital lifestyle."
New Senior PC Technology Packages Available Online
As part of the eSeniors initiative, Microsoft is releasing several technology packages tailored to the needs and interests of seniors. The new technology packages are available to seniors who want to purchase a computer of their own, or to adult children who may want to buy a computer for their parents.
People can choose either a desktop or notebook HP computer running Windows Vista and Microsoft productivity software geared toward seniors. In addition, the senior PC packages come with a color printer and software applications designed to help seniors manage their household tasks, keep track of their prescriptions, and sharpen memory with games. Seniors can also choose a larger keyboard or trackball mouse for easier typing and mouse pointing. One package, available only in a desktop model, includes the Spanish-language version of Windows Vista.
All the technology packages can be purchased online at http://www.microsoft.com/enable/aging/seniorpc.aspx. To make the technology packages more affordable, any Miami senior who completes the city's training program will receive a voucher to help offset the cost of purchasing a computer for his or her home.
Microsoft and City of Miami Partnership Empowers Seniors
For Microsoft and Miami, the new eSeniors program is an extension of longstanding commitments to digital inclusion and service to seniors, and their shared belief that technology can serve as an equalizer for people of all ages, removing workplace barriers and increasing employment opportunities while reducing social isolation.
"Gaining new technology skills and access to accessible technology will give many seniors a wider range of social and economic opportunities, enabling them to change careers, work part-time, stay employed longer, and expand their ability to contribute to their communities through volunteering," said Lori Parham, Florida state director for AARP. "By bringing seniors into the digital age, Microsoft and Miami are empowering them with more choices about how they live their lives."
In addition to being part of ELEVATE Miami, eSeniors is an extension of the successful eParks program that began in 2004 and now offers technology training and computer access to children, their parents and other Miami residents at 27 city parks. To reach seniors more effectively, the city decided to set up similar learning hubs in senior centers, starting with two centers to establish the model, and expanding to 10 senior centers by early 2008.
"Mayor Diaz and the Miami city commissioners have shown tremendous vision in reaching beyond traditional strategies to find creative ways to help the people of Miami participate in the digital age," Sinclair said. "Microsoft is proud to partner with the City of Miami on providing seniors with new opportunities, and we look forward to working on similar initiatives with other U.S. cities."
City of Miami
Elevate Miami is a program that prepares all residents of Miami for a leadership position in the global economy, creating unparalleled areas of opportunity by establishing public and private partnerships which facilitate access to affordable technology, including mobile and low-cost internet access, and therefore enhancing the quality of life for all Miamians. ELEVATE MIAMI seeks to reach this goal through a multi-faceted approach that incorporates the following: eParks -- equips 27 City of Miami parks with 264 computers and offers open lab hours available to all residents; eSenior Centers -- equips senior centers with computers and offers computer literacy training to the elderly (currently available in 2 senior centers with 142 seniors attending training); Education Compact -- creates a Curriculum for all sixth graders which integrates technology and life experiences. If students meet the expectations of the program, they will earn a computer.
About Unlimited Potential
Microsoft Unlimited Potential expands and accelerates Microsoft's commitment to facilitate sustained social and economic opportunity for the more than 5 billion people living in every country around the world who do not today benefit from technology. More information about Unlimited Potential is available at http://www.microsoft.com/unlimitedpotential.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
For more information about Microsoft and Miami computer access programs for seniors, please visit:
http://www.microsoft.com/enable/aging
http://www.microsoft.com/industry/government/digitalinclusion.mspx
http://www.elevatemiami.com
Baby boomers face their biggest challenge
Baby boomers face their biggest challenge
By MARY SANCHEZ
The panic strikes during the most mundane parts of my daily routine.
Dial mother’s house, the same number she has had for more than 40 years. And the phone rings ... and rings and rings. Has she fallen?
On the weekly grocery store trip, I feel the adrenaline for the 30 seconds I leave her alone at the curb so she doesn’t have to walk the uneven pavement of the parking lot. I rush to pull the car around — quickly, before some creep spies her as an easy target for a purse snatching.
Both of my parents reached this stage of life, when children are still children but become guardians for the simple reason that we can walk fast, turn quickly and lift the things that need to be lifted.
Father is gone five years now. Mother is bravely carrying on as her mobility wanes. “Frail” is the first word that usually comes out when friends inquire about my mother. Thankfully, it is usually followed by “witty” and “pretty spry for 87 years old.”
I thought of my mother when I heard the news that the first baby boomer has applied for Social Security benefits. For almost 62 years Kathleen Casey-Kirschling has had the distinction of being the nation’s oldest baby boomer. Now she’s retiring to a home in Maryland with her husband, who is also turning 62 next year.
What brought mother to mind was the realization that we do not as a nation grasp what this demographic shift will mean. Not financially, not legislatively, not emotionally. The baby boom generation of 80 million will soon enough be edging toward death. Who will care for them, and how?
By next year, 365 more boomers will join Casey-Kirschling every hour, turning 62 and becoming eligible to tap into Social Security.
The commissioner of Social Security is fond of referring to this new turn for the boomers as “America’s silver tsunami.” Tsunami, of course, never portends to anything positive.
In 10 more years, the pool of funds that is Social Security will be upended — meaning that more will be going out than will be coming in.
Medicare currently covers about 44 million people. By 2030, the number will be 79 million.
Technically, I’m a baby boomer as well, but barely. I arrived at the end of the birthing boom that lasted from 1946 to 1964. And so I expect to feel the effects of how society shifts as my elder boomers continue to age.
Few people want to discuss, much less fully plan for, their own demise quite as honestly as baby boomers need to right now. We’d all like to think that we will “grow old gracefully,” be able to look back on a “purpose-driven life” and a bookshelf full of other soothing clichés about aging.
Yet how many realize what the end is really like these days? We lurch toward death, suffering a fall, a stroke, a heart attack — and then recover. But often not to the same level of health as before, until the next medical incident and a little more physical strength is sapped. Dying really is a process.
It’s an expensive process as well, but the costs are not as apparent as they should be. According to AARP, 34 million people, usually women, provide an average 21 hours of uncompensated care a week to an elderly relative — a lot of them while still trying to work full-time. This has had an effect on productivity in the workplace and family finances.
Equally concerning is the fact that the average caregiver is a 46-year-old working woman. Often she will find it necessary to cut back on her own work to care for a relative, eroding her wages, benefits and the money she can offer her family. The danger is that, over the long term, people in this situation limit their ability to save for their own retirements.
With the vast demographic shift upon us, will this burden be too much to bear?
Baby boomers like to tout the impact they’ve had on every aspect of life — how they have changed the nation, often for the better, by ushering in new forms of equality, reforming education and even revolutionizing attitudes about aging (“40 is the new 30!”).
Soon the boomers will face their own mortality. Like my mother, everyone who reaches their “golden years” deserves to live them in dignity. But for that to happen, boomers need to begin seriously considering how they will live out their last years and, yes, how they will die.
It will be their greatest challenge yet.
By MARY SANCHEZ
The panic strikes during the most mundane parts of my daily routine.
Dial mother’s house, the same number she has had for more than 40 years. And the phone rings ... and rings and rings. Has she fallen?
On the weekly grocery store trip, I feel the adrenaline for the 30 seconds I leave her alone at the curb so she doesn’t have to walk the uneven pavement of the parking lot. I rush to pull the car around — quickly, before some creep spies her as an easy target for a purse snatching.
Both of my parents reached this stage of life, when children are still children but become guardians for the simple reason that we can walk fast, turn quickly and lift the things that need to be lifted.
Father is gone five years now. Mother is bravely carrying on as her mobility wanes. “Frail” is the first word that usually comes out when friends inquire about my mother. Thankfully, it is usually followed by “witty” and “pretty spry for 87 years old.”
I thought of my mother when I heard the news that the first baby boomer has applied for Social Security benefits. For almost 62 years Kathleen Casey-Kirschling has had the distinction of being the nation’s oldest baby boomer. Now she’s retiring to a home in Maryland with her husband, who is also turning 62 next year.
What brought mother to mind was the realization that we do not as a nation grasp what this demographic shift will mean. Not financially, not legislatively, not emotionally. The baby boom generation of 80 million will soon enough be edging toward death. Who will care for them, and how?
By next year, 365 more boomers will join Casey-Kirschling every hour, turning 62 and becoming eligible to tap into Social Security.
The commissioner of Social Security is fond of referring to this new turn for the boomers as “America’s silver tsunami.” Tsunami, of course, never portends to anything positive.
In 10 more years, the pool of funds that is Social Security will be upended — meaning that more will be going out than will be coming in.
Medicare currently covers about 44 million people. By 2030, the number will be 79 million.
Technically, I’m a baby boomer as well, but barely. I arrived at the end of the birthing boom that lasted from 1946 to 1964. And so I expect to feel the effects of how society shifts as my elder boomers continue to age.
Few people want to discuss, much less fully plan for, their own demise quite as honestly as baby boomers need to right now. We’d all like to think that we will “grow old gracefully,” be able to look back on a “purpose-driven life” and a bookshelf full of other soothing clichés about aging.
Yet how many realize what the end is really like these days? We lurch toward death, suffering a fall, a stroke, a heart attack — and then recover. But often not to the same level of health as before, until the next medical incident and a little more physical strength is sapped. Dying really is a process.
It’s an expensive process as well, but the costs are not as apparent as they should be. According to AARP, 34 million people, usually women, provide an average 21 hours of uncompensated care a week to an elderly relative — a lot of them while still trying to work full-time. This has had an effect on productivity in the workplace and family finances.
Equally concerning is the fact that the average caregiver is a 46-year-old working woman. Often she will find it necessary to cut back on her own work to care for a relative, eroding her wages, benefits and the money she can offer her family. The danger is that, over the long term, people in this situation limit their ability to save for their own retirements.
With the vast demographic shift upon us, will this burden be too much to bear?
Baby boomers like to tout the impact they’ve had on every aspect of life — how they have changed the nation, often for the better, by ushering in new forms of equality, reforming education and even revolutionizing attitudes about aging (“40 is the new 30!”).
Soon the boomers will face their own mortality. Like my mother, everyone who reaches their “golden years” deserves to live them in dignity. But for that to happen, boomers need to begin seriously considering how they will live out their last years and, yes, how they will die.
It will be their greatest challenge yet.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
B.C. Article
Seniors in our cities -- B.C. leads the nation
We're home to some of the most 'elderly' in Canada
Chad Skelton and Darah Hansen, Vancouver SunPublished: Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Qualicum Beach has more elderly people than any other small town in Canada, - 41 per cent of the population is 65 and over - and Sophia Thornley couldn't be happier about it.
"You know that television show Cheers, where they say it's a place where everyone knows your name?" Thornley said Tuesday.
"Well, we all joke that this is a place where everyone forgets your name," said the 81-year-old, who moved to Qualicum Beach from Victoria in 1996.
Thornley said the small town offers everything she ever thought she wanted and more, including a new husband, Donald Nix, who she just married in December.
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"We're just lucky that we found each other. We laugh a lot together and it's just been very nice," Thornley said. Statistics Canada released figures Tuesday showing B.C. is home to some of the most elderly communities in Canada, including several where more than a third of the population is aged 65 and over.
New data from the 2006 national census reveals B.C. is only the fifth-most elderly province in Canada, with 14.6 per cent of our population 65 and older, just slightly ahead of the national average of 13.7 per cent.
But Canada's most elderly big city, mid-sized city and small town are all located in B.C. Of Canada's 33 major cities, Kelowna has the highest proportion of seniors, with nearly one in five of its residents (19 per cent) 65 and over.
Among Canada's mid-sized cities, Parksville is the oldest - with more than a third of its population (33.8 per cent) 65 and over and one-tenth of its residents over 80.
And tiny Qualicum Beach (population 8,500) is the oldest small town in the country, with a whopping 41 per cent of its residents 65 and over.
Indeed, according to Statistics Canada, fully half of the 10 oldest communities in Canada with more than 5,000 residents are in B.C. - including Qualicum Beach and Parksville, but also Sidney, White Rock and Trail.
Don McRae, director of BC Stats, said the figures reflect the fact that many places in B.C. have become prime retirement destinations for seniors from across Canada.
McRae said the province's mild climate is probably the main attraction for winter-weary seniors. But he also said once a community like Parksville or Kelowna gets a critical mass of seniors - and services - it becomes an even more attractive destination.
In Qualicum Beach, Thornley is an active member of the Qualicum Beach Seniors' Activity Centre, which boasts about 700 members 55 and older, including 27 members over the age of 90, and she said there's not much risk of Qualicum's seniors getting lonely or bored.
"We love coming to the seniors' centre," she said. "It has an ambience of being friendly. You come in for coffee and a real good laugh."
She also enjoys Qualicum's wide network of walking trails, lively amateur theatre scene and art gallery. "There are all sorts of things for seniors here," she said. Kelowna politicians are also well aware of its growing seniors population. In 2006, the city commissioned a strategy to specifically address seniors' needs in the community, including building more walking trails and community gardens, as well as increasing parking space for motorized scooters.
While the vast majority of B.C.'s most elderly towns got that way because seniors moved in, McRae noted that in some cases it's because everyone else moved away.
In the mining town of Trail, for example, the number of children has dropped 13 per cent over the past five years. McRae said, unlike destination resorts like Qualicum, Trail is getting older because young people are moving away to find work - while those who lived there all their lives have stayed put.
While Tuesday's census figures show B.C. dominates the list of most elderly cities and towns, a few of the province's municipalities also made the list of the nation's youngest.
Abbotsford is the third-youngest big city in the country with fully one-fifth of its residents under the age of 15. And Fort St. John is the nation's ninth-youngest mid-sized city, with 21.7 per cent of its residents under 15. According to Statistics Canada, B.C. has historically had an older population than the rest of the country, a product of our higher life expectancy and lower birth rate.
And that trend is continuing. Between 2001 and 2006, according to the census, the number of B.C. residents 65 and over jumped 12.5 per cent while the number of children under 15 dropped 3.7 per cent.
B.C.'s median age - the point at which exactly half of the population is older and half is younger - also surpassed 40 for the first time in 2006 and now stands at 40.8.
Not surprisingly, the 2006 census indicates that Canada's population continues to age as the baby boomers near retirement.
Indeed, the number of Canadians aged 55 to 64 jumped a staggering 28.1 per cent since the 2001 census. Many of B.C.'s oldest communities, like Kelowna and Victoria, have been retirement destinations for decades. But one of the interesting things about Tuesday's figures is that several communities in B.C. have seen dramatic changes in their population just since the 2001 census.
For example, while Whistler is the most youthful city in all of B.C., with just 3.8 per cent of residents 65 and over, it also has the fastest growing retirement community in the entire province.
In just the past five years alone, according to the census, the number of retirement-age people in Whistler has jumped a whopping 62 per cent - to 350.
And while Victoria is one of the most elderly cities in Canada, it is also one of only six municipalities in B.C. that actually saw its senior population decline in 2006 - albeit by just 0.9 per cent.
© Vancouver Sun 2007
We're home to some of the most 'elderly' in Canada
Chad Skelton and Darah Hansen, Vancouver SunPublished: Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Qualicum Beach has more elderly people than any other small town in Canada, - 41 per cent of the population is 65 and over - and Sophia Thornley couldn't be happier about it.
"You know that television show Cheers, where they say it's a place where everyone knows your name?" Thornley said Tuesday.
"Well, we all joke that this is a place where everyone forgets your name," said the 81-year-old, who moved to Qualicum Beach from Victoria in 1996.
Thornley said the small town offers everything she ever thought she wanted and more, including a new husband, Donald Nix, who she just married in December.
Email to a friendPrinter friendly
Font:
*
*
*
*
"We're just lucky that we found each other. We laugh a lot together and it's just been very nice," Thornley said. Statistics Canada released figures Tuesday showing B.C. is home to some of the most elderly communities in Canada, including several where more than a third of the population is aged 65 and over.
New data from the 2006 national census reveals B.C. is only the fifth-most elderly province in Canada, with 14.6 per cent of our population 65 and older, just slightly ahead of the national average of 13.7 per cent.
But Canada's most elderly big city, mid-sized city and small town are all located in B.C. Of Canada's 33 major cities, Kelowna has the highest proportion of seniors, with nearly one in five of its residents (19 per cent) 65 and over.
Among Canada's mid-sized cities, Parksville is the oldest - with more than a third of its population (33.8 per cent) 65 and over and one-tenth of its residents over 80.
And tiny Qualicum Beach (population 8,500) is the oldest small town in the country, with a whopping 41 per cent of its residents 65 and over.
Indeed, according to Statistics Canada, fully half of the 10 oldest communities in Canada with more than 5,000 residents are in B.C. - including Qualicum Beach and Parksville, but also Sidney, White Rock and Trail.
Don McRae, director of BC Stats, said the figures reflect the fact that many places in B.C. have become prime retirement destinations for seniors from across Canada.
McRae said the province's mild climate is probably the main attraction for winter-weary seniors. But he also said once a community like Parksville or Kelowna gets a critical mass of seniors - and services - it becomes an even more attractive destination.
In Qualicum Beach, Thornley is an active member of the Qualicum Beach Seniors' Activity Centre, which boasts about 700 members 55 and older, including 27 members over the age of 90, and she said there's not much risk of Qualicum's seniors getting lonely or bored.
"We love coming to the seniors' centre," she said. "It has an ambience of being friendly. You come in for coffee and a real good laugh."
She also enjoys Qualicum's wide network of walking trails, lively amateur theatre scene and art gallery. "There are all sorts of things for seniors here," she said. Kelowna politicians are also well aware of its growing seniors population. In 2006, the city commissioned a strategy to specifically address seniors' needs in the community, including building more walking trails and community gardens, as well as increasing parking space for motorized scooters.
While the vast majority of B.C.'s most elderly towns got that way because seniors moved in, McRae noted that in some cases it's because everyone else moved away.
In the mining town of Trail, for example, the number of children has dropped 13 per cent over the past five years. McRae said, unlike destination resorts like Qualicum, Trail is getting older because young people are moving away to find work - while those who lived there all their lives have stayed put.
While Tuesday's census figures show B.C. dominates the list of most elderly cities and towns, a few of the province's municipalities also made the list of the nation's youngest.
Abbotsford is the third-youngest big city in the country with fully one-fifth of its residents under the age of 15. And Fort St. John is the nation's ninth-youngest mid-sized city, with 21.7 per cent of its residents under 15. According to Statistics Canada, B.C. has historically had an older population than the rest of the country, a product of our higher life expectancy and lower birth rate.
And that trend is continuing. Between 2001 and 2006, according to the census, the number of B.C. residents 65 and over jumped 12.5 per cent while the number of children under 15 dropped 3.7 per cent.
B.C.'s median age - the point at which exactly half of the population is older and half is younger - also surpassed 40 for the first time in 2006 and now stands at 40.8.
Not surprisingly, the 2006 census indicates that Canada's population continues to age as the baby boomers near retirement.
Indeed, the number of Canadians aged 55 to 64 jumped a staggering 28.1 per cent since the 2001 census. Many of B.C.'s oldest communities, like Kelowna and Victoria, have been retirement destinations for decades. But one of the interesting things about Tuesday's figures is that several communities in B.C. have seen dramatic changes in their population just since the 2001 census.
For example, while Whistler is the most youthful city in all of B.C., with just 3.8 per cent of residents 65 and over, it also has the fastest growing retirement community in the entire province.
In just the past five years alone, according to the census, the number of retirement-age people in Whistler has jumped a whopping 62 per cent - to 350.
And while Victoria is one of the most elderly cities in Canada, it is also one of only six municipalities in B.C. that actually saw its senior population decline in 2006 - albeit by just 0.9 per cent.
© Vancouver Sun 2007
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