AGING POPULATION PUTS EMPHASIS ON NEED FOR HOME CARE

NIAGARA FALLS RIDING HAS ONE OF OLDEST POPULATIONS IN CANADA AND IT'S GETTING OLDER, NEW CENSUS DATA SHOWS

Political candidates hoping to win the Niagara Falls riding at Queen's Park would be wise to pay attention to the needs and issues considered important to one particular segment more than they might have in days gone by: older adults beyond the retirement age.

They should also pay more attention to what octogenarians feel is important.

The reason is simple: there are more of these people alive today than before, and this is a demographic that puts voting high on their civic duty list of things to do.

New data from the 2021 census show that in the riding including the City of Niagara Falls, the Town of Fort Erie and the Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake, people are living longer than ever before and that has implications on what policies provincial politicians should push higher up on their agendas.

Statistics Canada figures show more than 861,000 Canadians aged 85 and older were counted in the latest census, more than twice the number observed in the 2001 census.

The agency also said the population aged 85 and older is one of the fastestgrowing groups, with a 12 per cent increase in just five years.

Over the next 25 years, it's expected the population aged 85 and older could triple to almost 2.5 million people, Statistics Canada said.

The agency said that has implications for what issues should be focused on by politicians.

"As more seniors are living to 85 and beyond, an increasing number of individuals will face limitations and long-term health challenges," it said. "This will put increasing pressure on all levels of government to ensure adequate support, in areas such as housing, health care and home care, as well as transportation, among other things."

In Niagara Falls riding, the census data shows people aged 65 or older represent about 25 per cent of people, a greater percentage than in 2016, while there are 4,570 people aged 85 or older representing 3.12 per cent.

Among 42 major metropolitan areas in Canada in 2021, Niagara had the third highest number of people aged 85 and older at 3.2 per cent, just shy of Trois-Rivieres, Que. and Peterborough, Ont.

Danielle Cuoco is the owner of the Home Instead chapter in Niagara Falls, which provides a wide range of services to older adults so they can remain at home as long as possible. Cuoco said while her agency is family funded, it works closely with other agencies that get provincial funding in order to help elderly people stay independent.

She said home care is a crucial part of caring for an aging population.

"They are happier, they are more comfortable, they feel much more in control of their lives when they stay on their own," she said. "That helps in increasing their longevity and their quality of life."

Blair Harley's 93-yearold mom Lillian lives on a historic family farm on the Pelham-Thorold border. Harley said workers from the Home Instead chapter come from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and then again from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. daily, helping to cook, sew, bake, go out on excursions, doing puzzles and socializing.

"She gets to stay at the house and stay at the farm," he said. "Without hesitation it wouldn't be happening if we didn't have that support."

He said the home service has helped his mom to avoid moving into a longterm-care home as she'd been planning to before the pandemic hit. Harley said he's certain him mom wouldn't thrive in that kind of setting.

"She'd be sitting in a room alone, he said. "She's very social."

Lillian said she feels fortunate to be able to remain at the family farm with help.

"It's a great life," she said.