Eggleton on poverty, Carstairs on aging

This week I had the opportunity to hear two dynamic senators talk about issues of importance for Manitoba.

Art Eggleton was in Winnipeg to talk about the new report In From the Margins: A Call to Action on Poverty, Housing and Homelessness.  Eggleton chaired the Senate committee which examined the issues and developed the report. One of the most startling statistics was that it costs more to maintain people in homelessness than it does to house them (see pp. 107-109).

Housing is of great concern to many Concordia residents. A number of constituents told me that their rents have increased substantially in the last few years, more so than their income. This is especially true for seniors, who often see little cost of living increases in pensions.

One mom, in the midst of a divorce talked about how hard it is to raise her children when she finds that there are a lot of bad influences in low rental housing. One can see the wisdom of the Liberal idea to help Manitobans own their own homes to help stabilize families.

Sharon Carstairs chaired the Special Senate Committee on aging. The committee developed the report Canada’s Aging Population: Seizing the Opportunity and Carstairs spoke at the Health Sciences Centre.

Carstairs reported that in 1971 people aged 65 and up were 8% of the population. Now the proportion is 13%, and it’s expected by 2031 it will be 25%. Despite this knowledge, it does not seem that Canada is ready to receive this shift on population demographics. Carstairs spoke primarily about the need for the federal government to take a coordinating role and ensure that services for seniors are of similar quality all over Canada. Still there are provincial implications, such as the recommendation to look at graduated driving licenses for seniors, rather than an all or nothing approach, and the development of appropriate facilities to accommodate the level of need of individuals.

Carstairs pointed out that while we talk about caregiving for seniors, there are many seniors who are doing the caregiving.  I had personal experience with this while working in the FASD field, working with grandparents who were looking after their grandchildren. Sometimes seniors are caring for their still older parents, as more people are living even into their 90s.

Seniors in Concordia have told me about concerns like their need for home care services, that they often need the care of their families, that they are concerned about their income levels.

Governments at all levels need to be keeping the growing senior population in mind as we plan for the future.

February 5, 2010