Over the last 10 years, the number of Laval residents aged 65 years and over has gone up by 45 per cent. That’s one of the most important rates of population growth in Quebec. However, given this phenomenon, what means can be taken to ensure the population remains active and autonomous as it grows older?
Focus on well-being
The solution, according to the Director of Public Health for the Laval region, is to pay more attention to the well-being of senior citizens while they are able-bodied, so that they will effectively remain so longer. In essence, that is the message Dr. Nicole Damestoy had on April 21, when she was joined by health and social services professionals from all over the region for the launch of a report on the impact of an aging population in Laval. According to the lengthy report, 90 per cent of Laval residents 65 years of age and older currently live in their own homes. Just two per cent are living in long-term care facilities (CHSLDs).
A greying population
“Of course, the greying of the population is a subject of worry, but we are more and more dealing with a population which has lived in highly favourable conditions compared to the generations that preceded them,” Damestoy said in an interview with the Laval News. “In any case, health care services are going to continue to improve. The current challenge is to deal with the environments and services in the community.”
The report notes that health and socio-economic conditions of senior Laval residents have greatly risen over the last two decades. Nonetheless, a good number of people still face tough economic choices between housing and food, which can harm their health and their autonomy. Nearly 22 per cent of Laval residents 65 years and over (22,000 people) are effectively living beneath the threshold of poverty, which is an annual revenue of $14,564.
Proactive, not reactive
“We must act proactively before we end up having to act reactively,” said Damestoy. “Collectively, we must, among other things, develop an urban setting that is more secure, that permits buying more locally, reconcile the expectations of organizations to those of aging workers and increase the number of occasions when senior citizens can become physically active.”
According to the report, Laval residents today who are 65 years of age and older have an exceptionally good life expectancy of 83 years for a man and 89 years for a woman. However, this longevity comes with some drawbacks. For example, vulnerability sets in suddenly between the ages of 75 and 80. Hence, the importance of protecting such people, the report suggests, and making sure they’re not too isolated, and that the community has a role facilitating things like their activities and transportation.
Preserving autonomy
Damestoy said that measures to assure that Laval’s seniors remain active and autonomous as long as possible are to be found not just in the health care system. “They are throughout the community,” she said. “We have an extraordinary power in the midst of our region to begin as of now to better preserve the autonomy of our seniors. An island, a city, a centre of health and social services, are all advantages for us all to work together.”