|
Rationale: Current Observations
1. Demographics
Rapidly Growing Senior Population 1
Seniors constitute one of Canada's fastest growing population groups. In 2000, there were an estimated 3.8 million Canadians over 65 (13% of the total population).
This figure is expected to grow even more rapidly. Estimates by Statistics Canada have projected that by 2016, 17% of Canadians will be aged 65 and over and that by 2041, 23% of the population will be seniors.
More Older Seniors 2
The fastest growth in the number of seniors is occurring with those over 85. The number of people over 85 has doubled since 1981 (20 times more than in 1921!). They now (2000) represent 1% of population and are expected to represent 4% by 2041.
Seniors in Montreal 3
- The proportion of the population over 65 is higher in Montreal (15%) than in the rest of Quebec (12%) and Canada (12%).
- More seniors live alone in Montreal (39.3%) than in the rest of Quebec (30%) and Canada (29%).
- More seniors live below the poverty line in Montreal (36%) than in the rest of Quebec (28%) and Canada (19%).
- Unattached senior women are particularly likely to have low incomes (48%).
(back to top)
2. Health Issues for Seniors 4
In 1996-97, 82% of people aged 65 and over living at home reported that they had at least one chronic health condition.
28% of seniors report a restriction of their activities, which deteriorates with age:
- 22% - 65-74
- 34% - 75-84
- 50% - 85 and over
25% of seniors have a long-term disability or handicap.
Hospitalization
The cost of hospitalizing a patient for malnutrition is over $700/day. 5
Nursing Homes
Public nursing homes in the Montreal area are currently full. The waiting period for clients in need can exceed 2-3 months. 6
Psychological Health
Many seniors who live alone experience extreme isolation, are unable to leave their homes and receive few or no visitors.
3. Hunger 7 , 8
- Since 1989, food bank use has almost doubled (an increase of 92%).
- Conservative estimates suggest that between 8 and 10% of Canadians experience or are at risk of hunger.
- "Hunger in Canada is a national crisis requiring action at all levels of government."
- The use of food banks by people over 60 years of age has more than doubled since 1995 (from 5% of total users in 1995 to 11% in 2001).
- In 1995, only 4.5% of seniors went to a food bank more than once a month, while in 2000 some 26% of seniors visit the food bank more than once a month.
- The number of seniors reporting instances of hunger has increased from 26% to 31% experiencing hunger weekly, and from 34% to 47% experiencing monthly hunger.
(back to top)
4. Youth (Un)employment
Quebec: 9
- The unemployment rate with respect to youth remains high and is far above that of older workers. It is also more sensitive to cyclical fluctuations.
- In the country as a whole, the unemployment rates for young Canadians are more cyclical and higher than the national average.
- Regarding the level of their unemployment and the existing gap with respect to the overall market, it should be noted that young people are now in a situation similar to that which prevailed twenty years ago, in spite of the fact that today they are, in general, more educated. Thus, youth's increased level of education has allowed them to adapt to requirements resulting from economic transformations without necessarily improving their relative position on the labour market.
- Youth's access to the labour market has apparently diminished: their employment and labour force participation rates are still much lower (in the order of some ten percentage points) than the peak that had been reached at the end of the eighties.
Montreal: 10
Employment rate by age and sex, Montreal Island (2000) 
There are major variances among certain population groups on Montreal Island in terms of their labour market situation. For instance, among the population aged 15 to 54, youth aged 15 to 24 have the lowest employment rate and highest unemployment rate.
Unemployment rate by age and sex, Montreal Island (2000) 
The number of unemployed increased by 6.0% for youth aged 15 to 24 and by 2.8% for women aged 25 to 54; it dropped by 10.2% for men aged 25 to 54. The unemployment rate for women aged 25 to 54 currently stands at 8.5%, as compared to 9.8% for men in the same age bracket and 9.6% among youth aged 15 to 24.
(back to top)
5. Declining Volunteerism, Particularly with Youth
Statistics have shown a frightening decrease in the number of people both giving to and volunteering with organizations like Santropol Roulant: the numbers in Quebec are, on average, 20% lower than the rest of Canada and the greatest deficit is in youth involvement in the community.
The Santropol Roulant Solution
- Through its meal delivery service, Santropol Roulant delivers nutritional, balanced and hot meals 5 days a week, 52 weeks a year.
- It allows seniors living with a loss of autonomy to remain independent, living in the comfort and dignity of their own homes.
- The cost of each meal is $3.50, much less than the cost of hospitalization. This preventative health measure has saved taxpayers an estimated 2.4 million dollars over the past five years.
- Activities held by the Santropol Intergenerational Centre bring seniors outside their homes for educational and social activities with other seniors and with young people. This breaks the cycle of isolation and encourages new and meaningful friendships between generations.
- Daily delivery of meals by young volunteers serves to break the isolation of housebound seniors, significantly improving their moral and psychological health.
----
References
1 Seniors in Canada (2001), Statistics Canada http://www.statcan.ca/english/freepub/85F0033MIE/85F0033MIE01008.pdf
2 Seniors in Canada (2001), Statistics Canada http://www.statcan.ca/english/freepub/85F0033MIE/85F0033MIE01008.pdf
3 Projet de Montréal Rapport Final - Qualité de vie chez les citoyens aînés vivant - Montréal: Facteurs associés et pistes d'action (2000), Lucie Richard et al http://www.utoronto.ca/seniors/Montreal/rapportFinalMont.htm
Contact: Forum des citoyens aînés de Montréal
433 ave Mont-Royal est, bureau 316, Montréal, Québec H2J-1W2
(514) 270-8464
opinion@fcam.qc.ca
4 Seniors in Canada (2001), Statistics Canada http://www.statcan.ca/english/freepub/85F0033MIE/85F0033MIE01008.pdf
5 Royal Victoria Hospital, Montreal QC - April 2000
6 CLSC St-Louis de Parc, Montreal QC - May 2000
7 HungerCount 2000 A Surplus of Hunger Canada's Annual Survey of Emergency Food Programs (October 2000), Beth Wilson with Carly Steinman for the Canadian Association of Food Banks
8 Seniors Losing Ground in Poverty Battle (2000), Daily Bread Food Bank http://www.dailybread.ca/research/pdf/seniors.pdf
9 Youth and the Labour Market in Quebec (1999), André Desnoyers and Yves Lirette, Economists Information and Strategic Planning Branch - HRDC - Quebec Region
http://www.qc.hrdc-drhc.gc.ca/socio-ec/marchjeu/english/page-1.html
10 Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey http://www.statcan.ca/english/Pgdb/People/labour.htm
(back to top)
|
