Recently in Senior's News Category

Who in politics is talking seriously about this demographic fact?

By Jeffrey Simpson, Globe and Mail

How far ahead do politicians usually think?

In a minority government, politicians think an hour ahead sometimes, a month more often, a year ahead occasionally. In a majority government, parties have the luxury of preparing for electoral combat in four or five years, and governments can plan for something other than tomorrow's survival.

But how many political men and women think a decade ahead? Most of those in Parliament won't be around in 10 years. So if a problem arises today that will manifest itself in a decade, the political instinct is to punt. Let somebody else catch the ball, later.

This year and next, courtesy of the recession and significant government stimulus, the federal government will be amassing about $100-billion in debt. Provincial indebtedness will also be large. The federal parties, predictably but sadly, are ruling out options to pay the bill: no tax increases, no cuts in transfer payments to provinces, no cuts in the defence budget, no cuts in big transfers to individuals. As such, they are politically punting, arguing that economic growth will bring the budget back into balance.

Byline: Fiona Hughes, Vancouver Courier

This feature is called Giving Back, but this week it could also be called Going the Distance.

Tomorrow at 11:15 a.m. at the 2009 B.C. Seniors Games in Richmond, Mary Dopson will make her return to the track to compete in the 100-metre dash against seniors 90 and over.

Dopson is 91. She's even considering taking a shot at the long jump.

Back in 1936 in her hometown of Winnipeg, Dopson (n?e Pitts) won gold and silver medals in Olympic trials in the long jump and the 100-metre sprint. She qualified for the 1936 Berlin Olympics, but as it was the Depression, she was told she'd have to pay her own way if she wanted to go.

During their annual convention that took place this August in Saskatoon, Canadian Medical Association delegates debated policy resolutions they hope will transform a patient's experience in the Canadian health-care system - many of which relate to challenges associated with rapidly aging society.

The discussion among CMA delegates is the organization's attempt to create what it calls a "blueprint for health transformation." The blueprint has five building blocks - including an urgent call to dramatically increase the number of places in home care and long-term-care homes across Canada.

The conference debate also focused on a number of other important questions related to the sustainability and efficiency of our seniors' care system, including:

Recent figures from the U.S. Census Bureau suggest the number of centenarians in the world will hit 6 million by 2050. Membership in the 100-year-olds' club has jumped from an estimated few thousand in 1950 to over 340,000 around the world today.

The Census estimates also show that:

• within the next eight years, there will be more people over 65 than under 5
• the median age for the world will increase from 24 to 37 by 2050

Congress president Georgetti imposes sanctions on nurses' union

Canadian Labour Congress president Ken Georgetti has found that BC Nurses' Union efforts to recruit licensed practical nurses and other health care workers already represented by HEU and other unions constitutes a raid and has imposed sanctions on the provincial nurses' union.

National conclusions echo B.C. caution issued last year by our auditor-general

By Barbara Yaffe, Vancouver Sun

Forget the perennial debate about a national daycare scheme for Canada. We'd better focus on elder care.

That's a warning from the Ottawa-based Institute of Marriage and Family, a lobby group launched in 2006 to promote family-friendly public policy.

In a just-released report, titled Care-Full? The Democratic Crunch and Senior Care in Canada, researcher Derek Miedema uses Statistics Canada data to spotlight a nightmare scenario that's either around the corner or, for many of us, already here.

By Joyce Jones, The Province

Health Minister George Abbott finally came clean this week and admitted that the government has only delivered 800 residential care beds in B.C., rather than the 5,000 it promised in 2001.

It's important for British Columbians to understand that these numbers are part of a bigger story that includes surgical wait times and backlogged emergency rooms.

A shortage of long-term care beds doesn't just affect seniors and their families. It can also mean that beds needed for surgeries and for patients admitted through the ER are being used by people who are, in turn, waiting for space in long-term facilities. At the other end of the spectrum, meaningful investments in home support services allow seniors to stay independent and healthy as they age. This can prevent costly trips to the hospital and reduces the time they spend in long-term care facilities.