What Canadian seniors face today

Thank you for being aware of what Canadian seniors face today.

Today, I would like to talk about some of the mythology of being a senior. As president of the Niagara chapter of CARP (Canadian Association of Retired Persons), I see many examples that will help educate us all about what’s going on.

The old version of a senior is someone who is relegated to an old-folks home to die. Today, we still have some in that situation, yet many others are in the community, working, contributing, mentoring, running companies, busy in gyms and changing the world.

Let’s look at money. Most seniors today own their house, and they have assets beyond that. Younger people have a hard time buying a house and they still are too young to build financial assets.

CARP is a national organization, and perhaps one of the most powerful lobby groups in Canada. We advocate on some of the following issues: Long-term health care, pension reform, caregivers, rights of seniors, elder abuse, age-friendly communities and much, much more.

Our 6,000 members understand they are a vital part of our community. Many are well-educated and each day they keep supporting our economy.

And there are benefits beyond lobbying. CARP offers many discounts for seniors as well as social events to keep us informed and involved.

Some Canadians are passive in their thinking, yet many of our CARP members are active thinkers who want and have a good life, contributing to their families and others.

And yet, we also care about seniors who need help. For those who don’t have enough money to live a good life, or those in our health system all need some help. We are there to help, if we can.

The other element of being a CARP member is age. The old world sees a senior as someone who was 65 years old. Today, many people retire before that age. The earliest age to join CARP is 45 because many of those people are very close to retirement.

It is my privilege and pleasure to work with CARP, a nonprofit agency. If you want more information, I’d be happy to chat with you later, or you can go to carp.ca, or carp.ca/niagara, or Facebook @NiagaraRegionCARP.

If you know anyone who would like to join this national organization, please tell them we have our events at Royal Niagara Golf Club in St. Catharines. Our Facebook page has photos, activities and more posted.

Source: St. Catharines Standard