Wednesday, October 1, 2014

National Seniors Day


Name of a seniors housing complex, North Vancouver, BC, CanadaC

Today, at least in my part of the world - I need to qualify that for my "far-side-of-the-world" bloggers - ;) - is National Seniors Day (http://www.seniors.gc.ca/eng/pie/nsd/). It is a day to appreciate and celebrate seniors (or 'older adults'), and taking a look at issues such as housing and health issues that impact their lives.

With the baby boomer generation, those born between the years 1947-1966, we are seeing a lot more seniors in our communities. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baby_boomers for more information.

In parts of Vancouver and North Vancouver where I work and live respectively, the number one population are older single females, age 55 and over, i.e., 55 considered the age of a 'young senior' as I will be next year. In the West End, the downtown core of Vancouver, BC, over 50% of residents are women, most of them are seniors and live alone.

More and more seniors are not only living alone, they also spent a big chunk of their income just on housing alone. In fact, there are more seniors who are homeless than ever before, even in our wealthiest of suburbs, West Vancouver.

I find this an extremely sad situation, for probably most of those seniors have worked hard all their livings raising families and/or working, only to find that they aren't being supported financially.

Vancouver is known to be an expensive city to live in with housing costs and rents easily taking up about half a paycheck or more. And yet, they expect people to pay 1/3 of their income on housing!

And this is only one, though a major issue, that they have to deal with.

Do you know a senior in your family and/or community? Are they supported by society?

P.S. I am writing this coming back from a work-related event where I heard two or three stories of seniors who were homeless. So sad indeed.



25 comments:

  1. Elly,
    At first I thought you meant "seniors" as in high school seniors! Then I read on. It's a sad situation. I'm almost there, too. A young senior, like you. But it doesn't have to be sad. Even when we don't have a lot of money and even if we live alone, if we have lifelong friends, it's a kind of wealthiness, too. So, I think it's necessary to befriend others and seek out those who are alone, especially seniors and interact with them. So, even when one is faced with financial difficulty, with the love of a friend to help put the challenges in perspective, all things are bearable.<♥

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    1. Amy, you are such a trooper! And such a positive inspiring example to others as what you say is right on: friendships are a different form of wealthiness. It is ideal to have at least a roof/warm shelter over one's head, don't you think (thinking of basic needs and/or Maslow's hierarchy of needs)? ;) <3

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  2. That's really wonderful of you to share and dedicate this blog with us, Elly :) love you for it

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    1. Yes, I suppose it is a form of a dedication Asma. How observant of you! You noticed that due to your generous, kind, and sweet soul! :) <3

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  3. I guess homeless seniors are all around us. On my last birthday, I decided to celebrate it at a home that housed orphan kids and homeless/abandoned seniors. It was heart wrenching to know that a lot of these senior people were abandoned by their kids in their prime age and surprisingly a lot of them came from economically sound families. The kids just did not want to take their responsibility any more. Really sad.

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    1. So sad to hear that the seniors are abandoned by their children Vinodini. And so heart-warming to hear that you spent your birthday with these people: how compassionate of you! :) <3

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    2. I'm going to respectfully disagree. The ppl I know, there are a myraid of reasons as to why someone isn't taking care of an elderly family member. It could be financial (be that the person is single, and cannot afford to be at home, or dual working families that cannot afford to pay for home care) it could be that there are young children in the home and the parents feel unable to manage the needs of both children and an elderly parent. Housing situations is another problem. Do they have the room? Do they own or rent? Moving another person into the home could well violate their lease, and end up w/them being evicted. There are so many reasons that someone cannot manage elder care in their own home, and not wanting to take responsibility isn't on the list.

      Another aspect that nobody considers...Not all folks are nice folks. Regardless of age. I know of situations where there was rampant abuse in childhood, continued toxic behaviour in adulthood, to the point where the relationship could not be preserved, for the health of the adult children and their children. What then? What happens in those cases where the elder person has been abusive and toxic to their family their entire lives, and now needs help? Should their long term victims be expected to be there? Is that fair or right? To endure more abuse?

      I guess I've seen too many situations, know there's too many variables to ever make assumptions about someone abandoning their responsibilities. Sure, there are those that only care about themselves, and don't care. But, I suspect they're the exception, rather than the rule.

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    4. Melissa, you bring up a lot of valid reasons why family members cannot or prefer not to take care of their elderly parents. And especially if there was abuse. However, I didn't necessarily mean that seniors aren't supported financially by family members, but by government/society in general. I didn't make that clear; however, it sparked you bringing up a lot of good points, so thanks! :) <3

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  4. Great article. I love the elders in my family and community. I find ways to make them feel special and loved every chance I get. Thanks.

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    1. Thanks Ginger (if I may call you that)! I'm glad you love and appreciate them. I'm sure they appreciate you a lot in return. :) <3

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  5. Hi Elly,

    It's great to meet a fellow North Vancouverite - thank you for visiting my sleep blog! We should have a blogger meetup on the North Shore :-)

    I volunteer at Summerhill Retirement Home, and it's posh....but that doesn't mean the seniors are any happier. Of course, nobody wants to be homeless! That's awful, especially for elderly people who have health issues. Thank you for bringing this to light for us; may it give us a new understanding of aging and poverty.

    In peace and passion,
    Laurie

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    1. Oh wow! You really are in my neck-in-the-woods, speaking of which where is that forest you mentioned in another blog post? Well, maybe we should meet then! ;) I guess the external environment isn't the end-all and be-all...it's the interior environment that counts! I appreciate your feedback Laurie. :) <3

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  6. Thanks for visiting and leaving a comment at my blog, Dogs Rule Cats Drool as part of the Ultimate Blog Challenge. Loving your blog and will be reading more posts. You should like you have great amounts of energy and are very inspiring. Happy Writing!

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    1. Thanks Rebecca! I appreciate your wonderful words of encouragement. Happy writing to you too! :) <3

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  7. Forgot to mention something about the article. I come in on the last years of the baby boomer generation and I don't feel any older than I did when I left high school. But sometimes age is only a number and that might explain why I get getting AARP advertisements and The Neptune Society and Mortuaries. I'm not reading for the retirement home or the grave. I have way too many good years ahead of me.

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    1. Yes, I agree Rebecca. I don't feel my age or act like it either most of the time as I am too young-at-heart and have many interests to keep me going. Keep on living and writing! ;) <3

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  8. Looks like I fit into the "senior" category! Luckily in the UK and also in Spain (I flit between the 2) there doesn't appear to be the problem you have with seniors not being looked after. I work with elderly people, granted the ones I am with are lucky to have plenty money, but for the majority, although state pensions are not high they do give those without savings a "living wage". In Spain, families still have lots of respect for their elders and look after them. Ok there will be some exceptions no doubt.

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    1. That's so nice to hear Lisa! I think Europe is ahead of the game so-to-speak in so many ways. I am glad to hear seniors are taken care of there. :) <3

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  9. We seniors need to think creatively about how to live comfortably. I like the idea of co-housing!

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    1. I think that's a great idea Kate, of course, if seniors can afford it! ;) <3

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  10. I worked in health care. Its how I ended up disabled. I know better than most what's involved in caring for someone in your home. There is a disgusting lack of homesupport for caregivers. I heard ppl advised to NOT bring an elderly parent to live w/them, ever. B/c the government views it as, "This person is safe." and will leave it to the point of caregiver breakdown, physically and emotionally. I witnessed a situation where the caregiver was falling apart, and begging for help. The caregiver was actually THREATENED w/possible neglect/elder abuse charges if they didn't keep going.

    It wasn't til the caregiver ended up hospitalized that the elderly paitent was found a place in a long term care facility.

    LCF have waiting lists years and years long. There aren't enough beds, there isn't enough staff, there isn't enough staff for home care...

    Its a disaster, on so many levels.

    Nobody should EVER have to be homeless. Folks should NEVER feel forced into a situation of providing 24 hr care when they're not able to manage it. I don't know what the answer is, but I can say that sometimes, for a myriad of reasons, family simply can not be the caregivers. Honestly, I think someone not *wanting* to is reason enough. A resentful caregiver = disaster for everyone, imo.

    My solution? Pour money into homecare. When I worked it, it was the *lowest* paying situation out there, so many folks jumped ship as soon as they could get a position in a facility. No guarantee of hours, no benefits. Makes keeping good staff incredibly difficult. Also, more money to provide mor hours. The amount of hours folks are provided can be incredibly paltry. I know one family had me there for 8 hours, overnight, a week. That was all they were given, and decided to use it to ensure ONE night of sleep a week. And then there's folks that all the adults in the home work. Paying out of pocket for homecare? That would break folks.

    Unfortunately, as it so often does, it comes down to money. Money for more home care, more LTC beds, more, more, more.

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    1. Thanks for your feedback Melissa.

      First of all, I am sorry to hear you are disabled due to working in health care of all places.

      Secondly, I didn’t know that caregivers are worn down physically and emotionally before help is given, and yet I’m not at all surprised to hear that. How sad and disgusting to hear that.

      Thirdly, with the growing number of seniors, I am also not surprised to hear about shortages of beds in long-term care facilities. I don’t know where you live, but in Vancouver, BC (and I imagine throughout the province), there have actually been some (not sure how many) that have actually closed down. How shocking that is, at least to me.

      And with Canada and the States at least being first-world countries, homelessness should be non-existent. It’s appalling and I think embarrassing to say the least.

      I worked as a homemaker for about 1 or 1-1/2 years years ago and as you said, it was and may still be the lowest or one of the lowest-paying positions, primarily a thankless job with no guaranteed number of hours nor benefits. I know that that is still a concern today.

      And money is certainly a primary requirement to maintain the home support/home care/caregiver support systems.

      I appreciated your comments Melissa: thanks! :) <3

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  11. Elly, you have brought up an issue which is causing misery to so many .I believe that in USA and Canada very few elders are staying with their children. In India also this system is catching up very fast. I consider myself very fortunate that I and my husband are living with our son and DIL without any hassles. It is really pitiable that old and sick parents have to be on their own. My eyes have become moist after reading the experience of some of the ladies..

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    1. Yes, except for traditional families usually Indian where they all live under one roof. That said, there are for sure, many elders who live alone. I'm glad to hear dear Usha that you are living with family members. No one wants to or deserves to be homeless, especially seniors...that brought tears to my eyes too, a number of times. <3

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