Has your elderly parent recently moved into your home and you’re finding the transition a little more difficult than you anticipated? Does the household feel a bit off-balance, and as though everyone is trying to find their place in this new normal? If so, don’t feel you are alone. Just because you love your elderly…
Apparently, as you get older you get happier. Sclerotic, arthritic, calcified, deaf, blind, stupid and poor equals happy? Where do I sign up?
In a few years, people my age will get back pain, clogged arteries, brittle bones, hearing loss, cataracts, arthritis, heart disease, dementia and schizophrenia. What they won’t get, apparently, is unhappy about it. Citing a recent national survey, Canadian Press reports that older people in this country are generally more buoyant than younger ones. In…
But a study shows that residents in those regions are entering nursing homes with more complex care needs
By Matthias Hoben and Carole Estabrooks The most recent census, in 2016, showed that almost 17 per cent of Canadians are over age 65. In fact, those older than 85 have increased by almost 20 per cent since 2011, making it the fastest growing age group in Canada. We’re an aging populace, there’s no getting…
Robyn Pearson of A Friend Indeed talks about how her service fills a vital gap for multi-generational families
Robyn Pearson is owner of A Friend Indeed. What is A Friend Indeed and what does it do? Pearson: A Friend Indeed is an invaluable resource to the family caregiver that specializes in uplifting the social and emotional quality of life for their elderly loved one through activities and outings. Too often the bulk of…
We need to plan better to protect vulnerable seniors from the impact of climate change
By John Muscedere and George Heckman Canadian Frailty Network An elderly man in Ottawa spent most of last winter snowed in, unable to leave his home, surviving on canned food. Last summer, 54 people died as a result of a heat wave in Quebec, many of them older adults. Seniors’ communities were quickly evacuated during…
Our tips to consider so that you can help the seniors you care for to enjoy the benefits of being active
Regular exercise has a lot of benefits for seniors, and can help them enjoy a better quality of life as well as to keep themselves in good physical condition as they age. If you are caring for an older person, then keeping them active can be an important thing to think about, although naturally it…
No professional care provider can see what we see – what was, what is and what can be for our family members and friends
The term visionary is rarely used to describe natural caregivers. Yet vision is indispensable when we take care. No professional care provider, no matter how trained or prepared, can see what we see – what was, what is and what can be for our family members and friends. Visionaries make the truth visible. Caregiving requires…
Survey also says less than one-in-three Canadians are familiar with helpful tax credits, grants and other financial tools
A new survey indicates Canadians are not financially prepared to support their aging parents. The survey, commissioned by FP Canada and Chartwell Retirement Residences, found that many Canadians expect that providing financial support to their elderly parents will have a major impact on their personal finances. It also found than less than one-in-three Canadians say…
Securities commission focusing on improving seniors’ financial literacy
Nearly 40 per cent of Albertans over 55-years-old believe they’ve been approached with a potentially fraudulent investment. So the Alberta Securities Commission has launched a month-long senior outreach campaign across the province. The ASC said its campaign is focused on empowering seniors to improve their financial literacy, recognize the signs of investment fraud, empower them to…
The fundamental problem causing Canada’s health-care scarcity is a lack of private spending
Without serious government course correction, Canada is headed for a health-care squeeze. The senior dependency ratio in Canada – the ratio of people 65 years and older relative to the working-age population (15 to 64 years old) – is projected to rise from 25 per cent today to around 40 per cent by 2042. And…