By Balwant Sanghera

BC’s Seniors Advocate Dan Levitt has been doing an excellent job in advocating for more services and understanding for our seniors. Since assuming his position, Levitt has been actively promoting understanding about the problems facing BC’s seniors. October 9 was Ageism Awareness Day. In this context,  Mr.  Levitt, in an impressive opinion piece recently published in one of Vancouver’s major newspapers has done an excellent job in dealing with the issue of ageism. Levitt states that by 2036 one in four British Columbians will be over the age of 65. He goes on to state that ageism adversely affects the health and wellbeing of seniors. Naturally, as we age our reflexes are not as sharp as they were when we were young. At the same time, we must remember that a lot of seniors in their 80s and 90s are leading very productive and active lives.  

There are a lot of misconceptions about ageism. Often, all seniors are labelled with the same brush. In a sense, ageism should be looked at in the positive light. A very large number of seniors have made great contributions to their communities and Canada. Some of the war veterans have made significant sacrifices for their country.  A significantly large number of seniors continue to volunteer. As a matter of fact, they are the backbone of every community. Seniors have made an excellent contribution to the growth and development of Canada. As such, they need appreciation and support. It has been reported that many senior citizens are reported to have difficulty in making a decent living.  

As a person age his/her medical issues begin to take their toll. It has been reported that some of these seniors must make a choice of putting food on the table or pay for their medications. They don’t need to make these hard choices. The state has a responsibility to provide them with enough financial support so that they can live a decent life. In his opinion piece, Levitt recommends that there should be legislation and policy reform to eliminate ageism in healthcare, workplace and housing. Furthermore, he calls for health care reforms to ensure timely, effective and dignified care for older persons. In an earlier report released by Mr. Levitt he highlighted the problems faced by senior citizens in B.C. It states that among other issues, there is a massive increase in demand for long term care beds. The rapidly increasing senior population needs more at home care, assisted living facilities and long-term care beds. 

 It goes on to state that the wait list for long term care beds in BC has ballooned from 2381 in 2016 to 7,212 in 2025… Similarly, the wait times for long term care beds have increased from 146 days in 2018 to 290 days in 2025. This is just one of the many issues facing our seniors’ population. Physical, social, emotional and financial abuse of seniors are some of the other issues that need to be addressed. A lot of seniors are living in isolation. They desperately need to interact with another human being.  

As an alternative to long term care homes, home care is another viable alternative. Now is the time for our provincial and federal governments to reset its priorities and help this vulnerable segment of our province.    

Balwant Sanghera is a retired School Psychologist and Community Activist.