Chapter 6
Elder Care Canada - Seniors In Society
Defining The Issue:
Most seniors enjoy a good social network as measured by the number of close relatives and close friends with whom they are at ease and can rely upon for help, and by the number of other friends they make. While their networks are not as strong as those in younger population groups, seniors’ social support does not drop off as much as might be expected given their age (death of family members and close friends, etc.). A higher percentage of seniors report a strong sense of belonging to the community in 2005 compared to 2001 (72% vs. 65%) than do other Canadians. So, how do seniors connect to the community? That's the discussion in this chapter! If you are a senior or know of one that is not feeling "connected", hopefully you can find some ideas here.
Discussion:
Senior's & Computers - Seniors are using computers and the Internet at high rates. That is one of the main reasons that we elected to distribute this book as an eBook. Senior's are one of the fastest growing demographics of the online community. E-mail gives seniors an additional means to stay in touch with relatives and friends. Among those surveyed who used e-mail or the Internet over the previous month, 65% had communicated with relatives, and 60% had communicated with friends.
Senior's & Politics - Seniors are
politically engaged. One in five seniors attended a public meeting in the past year. Compared to younger Canadians, seniors are more likely to follow news and current affairs: the percentage of seniors reporting that they follow news and current affairs daily increased from 85% in 2000 to 89% in 2003. Older Canadians believe that voting is important and are far more likely to vote than younger Canadians. Almost 90% of seniors voted in the 2000 federal election. Want to learn more and possibly get involved? If you want to learn more about Canadian Politics Click Here and you'll find information on such topics as:Senior's & Volunteering - In 2000, seniors accounted for 17% of all
formal volunteer hours even though they represented only 12% of the Canadian population. On average, seniors volunteered 269 hours per capita in 2000, up from 202 in 1997. While the average per capita number of hours that seniors volunteer increased from 1997 to 2000, the rate of seniors’ volunteering actually decreased during this time period from 23% to only 18%. If you want to learn more about and how to get involved yourself ... Click Here.Working Senior's - The percentage of
working seniors has increased (from 6% in 2001 to 8% in 2005). It is impossible to know, with present data, whether this increase is a positive, negative or neutral development for seniors. However, the following trends are positive. Census data indicate not only that more seniors are working after 65 years of age, but that they are older than the seniors who were working in previous years. Seniors aged 65 to 69 represented almost 60% of seniors at work in 2001.Want to check out the job market in your part of Canada? Click Here to check out Canada's job bank.
Self-employment is more common among seniors than among younger workers (45% vs.12% for workers aged 15 to 64 in 2001). Seniors are represented in most occupations and their job diversification increased between 1996 and 2001. Moreover, seniors are highly visible in some jobs (for example: farmers and farm managers, ministers of religion, judges, physicians, dentists or artists). In 2002, as compared with 1994, a smaller percentage of seniors indicated they were forced into retirement because of mandatory retirement policies (14.5% vs. 16.2%).
Have you ever wanted to become self-employed? Don't know where to look? Click Here and check out this federal government website.
Resources:
Politics of Canada - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics_of_Canada
Recognizing Seniors' Contributions - Click Here