Saskatchewan has its fair share of seniors, a group that is growing larger as the province’s population ages. How is the province going to handle the challenges this aging population faces? The Saskatchewan Seniors Mechanism is consulting with people across the province in order to try to develop a seniors strategy for the province. They were in Yorkton on Sept. 11 to consult in the community.
Brian Harris, chair of the research and issues committee of the Saskatchewan Seniors Mechanism, said the goal is to consult across the province discussing the issues that people are concerned about. Those areas include healthcare, transportation, financial security, homecare, and ability for seniors to remain in their own home.
“Looking forward, saying ‘what would an ideal community look like?’ Where the services were available, the kind of supports seniors need for healthy aging are in place,” Harris said.
In Yorkton, they spoke of a wide range of issues, one example being the difference between aging in rural areas as opposed to cities, said Harris. For example, an older person in a city where they didn’t know many people might not have neighbors checking in on them or helping them. On the other hand, in a smaller community there would be limited services for seniors and a requirement for travel time, with a lack of a bus service making that more difficult.
At the end of the consultation process, they intend make recommendations to have a seniors’ strategy for the province, and have issues facing seniors reflected in policy.
“Instead of making one-off programs to address this issue or that issue, to consider this more holistically.” Harris said.
Other provinces already have a seniors strategy, or even a ministry in charge of seniors, and Harris would like Saskatchewan to have a clear seniors strategy, too. Harris estimates that in the next 20 years, more than a third of the province’s population will be over 55, so they want the province to address the issues that the population will face.
“We think we’re just a little bit behind in Saskatchewan and would like to push that forward,” he said.
The consultation continues across the province and they will be using the information to shape the final recommendations which they aim to put together this spring. They also plan to create a survey to further engage the province’s seniors.
“One of the challenges we have as older adults is having our voice heard. We’re hoping to change that,” he said.
