Join Dr. Bede Eke for a discussion of “The State of Pracademia in Edmonton”, 5:00pm, Wednesday, March 26, 2014. Click here for more information and to register.
Three things everyone should know about population aging in Canada:
- As the baby boomer generation grows older, Canada does have a much older population today than it has in the past.
- Research has shown that growing heath care costs have little or nothing to do with older people’s utilization of the health care system; these costs have been growing due to a number of factors, including increased usage by everybody, not just seniors.
- Canada is not the only country in the world facing an aging population; most of the Western world is dealing with this same issue.
Three myths about population aging in Canada:
Myth #1: Population aging will cause economic crisis for Canada.
Myth #2: Retirement makes people feel lonely and dejected, and subsequently they get sick and die not long after retirement.
Reality: In the 21st Century Canada and the US, average life expectancy has increased significantly to about 83 years for females and 78 years for males. Even though a lot of people retire from formal employment between ages 60 and 65, many of them live 10-25 years after retirement. Their retirement period is marked by social and economic activities such as volunteering, consultancy services, mentoring, traveling, and other forms of leisure. Very few seniors feel isolated, sick, and die shortly (3-5 years) after retirement
Myth #3: The majority of old people live in institutions.