Latest news with #B.C.CareProvidersAssociation
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Movement, community and purpose key to ensure B.C. seniors enjoy a happy life
A panel of experts explored ways for B.C. seniors to live a long life and prosper during a Conversations Live project hosted by Stuart McNish on Tuesday night. 'The enemy is the sofa. Mobility is the key thing to longevity,' said B.C. seniors advocate Dan Levitt. The panel comprised Levitt, B.C. Care Providers Association CEO Terry Lake, B.C. Securities Commission communications director Pamela McDonald, International Council on Active Ageing founder Colin Milner and health care consultant Carolyn Bell. There are 1.1 million British Columbians aged 65 and over, representing around 20 per cent of the province's population. In a decade this number is expected to climb to 1.5 million, representing a quarter of the population. Bell said that in 1960 in Canada there were eight people in the workforce for every one person retired and that number had now dropped to three workers for every one retired person. She said that represented a huge drop in revenue for government that had to provide health and other services to seniors. Research Co. pollster Mario Canseco said that half of retired people are worried about their physical and financial health, while 20 per cent are concerned about their mental health. Among working adults, 73 per cent are concerned about their financial health, 56 per cent are concerned with physical health and 48 per cent with their mental health. Milner said that while life expectancy has grown by 30 years on average since 1900 (to around 82), retirees needed to focus on extending their health span, which is the number of years you remain healthy before dying. He said that, on average, a person is not healthy for nine years before death. 'You need to move, eat well, don't smoke or drink and have a good (body mass index). Doing that at age 50 can increase a man's lifespan by 12 years. We know what we need to do, we are just not doing it,' Milner said. Financial health was also very important for seniors, with Levitt noting half of retired people in Canada were living on 34,000 a year or less. A recent Leger poll found three in ten Canadians (29 per cent) planning to retire in 2025 or 2026 will carry a mortgage into retirement. According to Statistics Canada, 14 per cent of households with income earners aged 65 and over had a mortgage in 2016, up significantly from eight per cent in 1999. McDonald said families needed to talk about money before retirement, and that retirees should work with a certified financial planner. Lake said there were 30,000 people in B.C. living in long-term care, mostly because of cognitive reasons that meant the seniors were not safe alone at home or in assisted living. He noted there is a wait-list of 3,000 people needing long-term care who either had to remain where they were or go into expensive private care. Lake said seniors needed to remain engaged with community and to have a purpose, whether it be a garden or owning a pet. dcarrigg@ WATCH: How do we ensure B.C. seniors enjoy a happy life? Fire in North Vancouver seniors' apartment complex drives dozens from their homes
Vancouver Sun
28-05-2025
- Health
- Vancouver Sun
Movement, community and purpose key to ensure B.C. seniors enjoy a happy life
A panel of experts explored ways for B.C. seniors to live a long life and prosper during a Conversations Live project hosted by Stuart McNish on Tuesday night. 'The enemy is the sofa. Mobility is the key thing to longevity,' said B.C. seniors advocate Dan Levitt. The panel comprised Levitt, B.C. Care Providers Association CEO Terry Lake, B.C. Securities Commission communications director Pamela McDonald, International Council on Active Ageing founder Colin Milner and health care consultant Carolyn Bell. There are 1.1 million British Columbians aged 65 and over, representing around 20 per cent of the province's population. In a decade this number is expected to climb to 1.5 million, representing a quarter of the population. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Bell said that in 1960 in Canada there were eight people in the workforce for every one person retired and that number had now dropped to three workers for every one retired person. She said that represented a huge drop in revenue for government that had to provide health and other services to seniors. Research Co. pollster Mario Canseco said that half of retired people are worried about their physical and financial health, while 20 per cent are concerned about their mental health. Among working adults, 73 per cent are concerned about their financial health, 56 per cent are concerned with physical health and 48 per cent with their mental health. Milner said that while life expectancy has grown by 30 years on average since 1900 (to around 82), retirees needed to focus on extending their health span, which is the number of years you remain healthy before dying. He said that, on average, a person is not healthy for nine years before death. 'You need to move, eat well, don't smoke or drink and have a good (body mass index). Doing that at age 50 can increase a man's lifespan by 12 years. We know what we need to do, we are just not doing it,' Milner said. Financial health was also very important for seniors, with Levitt noting half of retired people in Canada were living on 34,000 a year or less. A recent Leger poll found three in ten Canadians (29 per cent) planning to retire in 2025 or 2026 will carry a mortgage into retirement. According to Statistics Canada, 14 per cent of households with income earners aged 65 and over had a mortgage in 2016, up significantly from eight per cent in 1999. McDonald said families needed to talk about money before retirement, and that retirees should work with a certified financial planner. Lake said there were 30,000 people in B.C. living in long-term care, mostly because of cognitive reasons that meant the seniors were not safe alone at home or in assisted living. He noted there is a wait-list of 3,000 people needing long-term care who either had to remain where they were or go into expensive private care. Lake said seniors needed to remain engaged with community and to have a purpose, whether it be a garden or owning a pet. dcarrigg@
CBC
29-01-2025
- Business
- CBC
"It's an insult': B.C. premier slams Ottawa for slashing skilled immigrant program
B.C.'s premier is slamming a decision by the federal government to slash the number of skilled immigrants that can come to the province, saying it will choke economic growth. Federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced last week that most provinces and territories will have to cut their economic immigration programs in half. This year, BC can accept a maximum of 4,000 skilled workers from abroad, a cut by half compared to last year. And far fewer than the 11,000 skilled workers B.C. had asked Ottawa to approve. David Eby says the changes make no sense. "Now, for British Columbia to be told that our stream of skilled immigrants, the people that we know we need to ensure that our economy keeps moving ... to be cutting that and say, 'No, you don't get access to those engineers, to those technicians, the programmers, the doctors, the child-care workers, you don't get access to those people unless you agree to help us solve a problem we've created in another province, with non-existent housing … it's an insult," Eby told reporters Tuesday. Care homes and assisted living facilities across B.C. are desperate for staff, and these changes will make the situation even worse, said Terry Lake, the CEO of the B.C. Care Providers Association. "We had advocated for the provincial government to increase the provincial nominee program, so to see it cut like this, I think, is going to have a negative impact on the workforce that's available to care for our seniors," said Lake, a former health minister under the B.C. Liberal government. "It seems like in public policy these days, we're using chainsaws instead of scalpels." Casey Edge, president of the Victoria Residential Builders Association, said the construction industry relies on the provincial nominee program to hire people to build the homes that are needed to address the affordability crisis. "It's not credible for the federal government to claim that they're trying to increase housing supply while slashing the number of skilled trades that come to British Columbia. The reality is the skilled trades build the homes," Edge said. A Vancouver-based immigration lawyer says the policy change is a "drastic" about-face. "The provincial nominee program is vital to the province," said Robert Leong of Patriam Immigration Law. "There are a lot of people who are here with their families. They've been working with employers who really need them... so for them to suddenly have the legs taken out from them, it's very drastic for them," Leong said. Miller says provinces can negotiate to increase their skilled migration numbers if they agree to accept more asylum seekers, which could take some of the burden off Ontario and Quebec. Eby insists B.C. is doing its part in accepting asylum seekers but says it doesn't make sense to send asylum seekers to the most expensive housing market in the country if there's not enough housing available for them. "I think directing refugees and vulnerable people into the hottest housing market in North America with record low vacancy rates is probably not the best strategy," he said.
