Seniors rule, and here's why. In case you missed it, Oct. 1 was National Seniors Day in Canada. I didn't even know we had such a day (thanks a lot, Hallmark) until I heard a local seniors' activist on the radio criticizing the B.C. Liberals for failing to appoint a provincial seniors advocate a full 20 months after promising one in its B.C. Seniors Plan.
Days later, the and economic abuse of seniors in our communities.
Canadian Centre for Elder Law and the West Coast Women's Legal Education and Action Fund announced the findings of their study revealing rampant physical, emotional
Meanwhile, Canada's International Federation on Aging is currently lobbying Facebook to protect seniors from hate speech after a Yale University study found that seniors were the targets of bigotry and discrimination on the influential social networking site by almost three-quarters of the 84 public groups in the study.
And let's not forget the constant dire warnings from financial and health care analysts about Canada's impending "grey tsunami," the catchphrase for the demographic shift that will see the number of Canadians age 65 and older double to 10.4 million by 2036. By 2051, one in four Canadians is expected to reach that age.
It seems like seniors are synonymous with vulnerable, weak, dispensable and something to be feared. I bet even Jason Voorhees would get a warmer reception around some campfires than a senior citizen these days.
Yes, our population of older Canadians is growing, but we're all going to get there - if we're lucky - and I'm not so sure this is such a bad thing. Seniors are responsible for a great many wonderful things in this country.
According to Volunteer Canada, seniors collectively volunteer more than 370 million hours annually. Many are the founders of nonprofit organizations and social movements that have played a fundamental role in shaping Canadian society and establishing essential community services.
My neighbour, Sally, is just one such volunteer. At 71, she volunteers for the Tsawwassen United Church, helping to make the fruit pies for the annual bazaar (to be held this coming Saturday at 693-53rd St. between 10 a.m. and 2
p.m.), she's a master swimmer who keeps adding hardware to her medal collection every Seniors Games, she owns a sailboat and actually sails it, she's one of the most active members of our strata council, and the physical effort she puts into the landscaping around our complex is unmatched by anyone.
She also just bought a new car, so her driving days are long from over.
Much is often made of the toll taken by seniors on the health care system. Sure, fine. But they take no toll on that other giant piece of pie in the colourful graphic of provincial expenditures: our education system. And unless it's a crime to be a victim, I suspect seniors also cost our criminal justice system very little.
And as for being financial freeloaders who don't contribute one bacon bit to society, seniors continue to make significant contributions to the economy. Only 4.4 per cent of Canadians 60 and older earn less than the median income, and the average income of people over 60 is 90.8 per cent of the average for the rest of the population. The sooner we start viewing seniors as the assets and resources they are, the better off we'll be - and this will never be truer than when we find ourselves at some point walking in their same orthopedic shoes.
