Most older Canadians feel positive about aging, but income and health have a big impact: report

More than half of Canadians over the age of 50 are feeling positive about aging, according to a new national survey, but those who are struggling financially or have poor health were far more likely to struggle with their expectations of aging.

The National Institute on Ageing (NIA) partnered with the Environics Institute for Survey Research to ask 5,885 Canadians aged 50 and older about their experiences with and their expectations of aging.

The resulting report, published on Tuesday, found that optimism is common among older Canadians, with 63 per cent saying they felt positive about growing older and 72 per cent saying they had enough income for their savings to help them avoid major problems in the future.

The oldest respondents were the most likely to view the future in a positive light. Canadians over the age of 80 had the most positivity about aspects of aging compared to those aged 50-79, the survey found.

But some groups are struggling as they age, according to the report, with Canadians who reported their health to be “fair” or “poor” much more likely to be at a risk of social isolation and less likely to believe they would be able to retire successfully and remain independent for a long period of time.

More than a quarter of all respondents said they had struggled to access health care that they needed over the past 12 months, outlining how many needs are still going unmet in this vulnerable population.

“This survey fills an important gap in our understanding of how older Canadians think about and experience aging today, and how this may be similar or different depending on one’s age, socio-economic status and level of health,” Keith Neuman, Senior Associate at the Environics Institute, said in a press release. “This kind of research is essential to helping us as a society to move beyond the casual stereotypes about seniors and ‘old people.’”

Canada is growing older every year. According to NIA, around one-quarter of the country’s total population will be aged 65 years and older in the next 10 years. Policy-makers need time to make changes to adjust for this demographic change, the report’s authors say.

The survey looked only at older Canadians who are still living within their communities, as opposed to long term care homes or other similar institutions.

It focused on several key aspects that affect Canadians’ views and experiences with aging, including social well-being and financial security, as well as health and independence.

For social well-being, it looked at social networks, social engagement and ageism. Financial security included current financial well-being as well as readiness for retirement. Health and independence looked at the proportion who were able to age in their own homes, how many had access to health-care services and access to community support services.

In terms of access to health care, just half of Canadians reported that they were able to access the care they needed within the last 12 months. Around 63 per cent of Canadians aged 50 years and older said they felt very or somewhat confident that they would continue being able to get the health care they needed as they got older.

When the survey asked about concerns with aging, health-related concerns were the most frequent ones brought up, with 40 per cent of those surveyed noting a health-related concern.

The majority of older Canadians reported having strong social relationships, with 70 per cent of those surveyed stating they were satisfied that their relationships with family and friends were meeting their needs.

But social isolation is one of the continuing concerns highlighted by the report. Around 41 per cent of Canadians surveyed may be at risk of social isolation, the report states.

Canadians between the ages of 50 and 79 were more likely to be at risk of social isolation and having less satisfactory relationships. Those aged 80 and older were less likely, at 30 per cent, to be at risk of social isolation, and 82 per cent were satisfied with their relationships.

Ageism is also a concern, with certain demographics facing higher levels of discrimination and mistreatment.

Around 31 per cent of older Canadians said they had experienced discrimination before based on their age, a statistic that was even higher—40 per cent—among those born outside of Canada.

The most common setting for ageism was the workplace, although Canadians aged 80 and older most frequently reported it in health-care settings.

The financial status of Canada’s older population ranged widely, the report found.

A quarter of those surveyed said their income was inadequate, with the oldest Canadians more likely to report financial well-being. Around 89 per cent of Canadians aged 80 or older said they were satisfied with their income, with 78 per cent reporting that they could weather a financial shock, compared to Canadians aged 50-79, who answered 63 per cent and 56 per cent positively to those same questions, respectively.

“This higher level of confidence may not, however, be reflective of the actual financial circumstances of these varying age groups,” the report noted.

When it came to how confident Canadians were in their ability to age in place—whether or not they felt they could continue living independently within their community—the report found that confidence remained fairly steady regardless of several socio-demographic factors such as gender and age.

Nine out of 10 Canadians surveyed stated they felt very or somewhat confident that they could remain in their homes as long as they wanted.

However, those with poorer health and lower incomes were more likely to have a lower confidence that they could continue living on their own as they aged.

“There are still challenges to aging in Canada, and certain segments of Canada’s older population are especially vulnerable,” Natalie Iciaszczyk, Policy Analyst at the NIA and report co-author, said in the release. “Conducting this survey annually will allow us to more quickly identify areas of growing concern and respond to them before they get worse.”