Photo by Vince Fedoroff
MOUNTAINS OF DATA – According to the 2018 Yukon Health Status Report, only 35 per cent of Yukon seniors get the recommended amount of exercise. Dr. Brendan Hanley is seen discussing the report’s contents last Friday.
Report provides snapshot of rising seniors population
The 2018 Yukon Health Status Report results show that Yukoners are more active than the national average, but do not live as long.
The 2018 Yukon Health Status Report results show that Yukoners are more active than the national average, but do not live as long.
Dr. Brendan Hanley, the territory’s chief medical officer of health, presented the results of the report last Friday.
This year’s report focuses on seniors, which is considered age 65 and over. He explained that this topic was chosen because the territory has an aging population.
“We’ve seen quite a dramatic increase in the seniors population in the last several years,” he said.
This trend will continue into the future. Hanley wants to look at the challenges based off this fact.
He reports that almost 35 per cent of senior households report an income of less than $40,000 per year after taxes. He points out this is lower than households without seniors.
On the other hand, 22 per cent of households with seniors reported incomes of $100,000 after taxes.
As for well-being, 87 per cent of seniors report to be living with at least one chronic condition.
Hanley listed examples such as arthritis, back pain and heart disease. This is lower than the national average, which sits at 89 per cent.
The report showed that Yukoners are generally more active than the average Canadian.
Hanley clarified that the report found this to be the case in the younger age groups. According to the document, only 35 per cent of Yukon seniors get the recommended amount of exercise. The national number is 40 per cent.
“We see a sharp drop in activity for our Yukon seniors,” he said.
He clarified that there is a large group of seniors who are active while there is a contingent of those that are not.
Almost 32 per cent of seniors in the territory reported being either overweight or obese. The national number is at 27 per cent.
More seniors reported using substances than the national average. This includes heavy drinking and smoking.
Cannabis was included in the report, but it did not stick out in the seniors’ demographic.
Moving to living conditions, Hanley said more seniors report to live alone in the territory than at the national stage. Chances are, he explained, that a senior who gets a referral to home care in the Yukon is living alone.
Social isolation could be a factor in assessing the need for home care or other support services, he added.
“There may be more of a disconnection for Yukon seniors from family compared to seniors living in Ontario or Alberta,” Hanley said.
He felt it’s important to recognize that the Yukon government has been active with the Aging in Place Forum.
There are parallels between that and his research. He figures the government already has a good sense of what the issues are, and the report provides data to build on.
He said there is a lack of a middle ground option between continuing care and home support.
He is interested in exploring community support options. These would help link seniors with volunteers to help them with things like transportation.
Hanley wants to take a look at services offered in other jurisdictions to see what’s feasible in the Yukon.
He said the report also busted the myth that seniors are moving to the territory for health care.
This conclusion is based on information that came from the Canadian Institute for Health Information. The institute takes in hospital information and health care expenditures.
This enabled Hanley to look at the drivers of health care costs. Aging does contribute to costs, but the data showed it was a small portion.
The increase in costs attributed to seniors was described as incremental. The higher health care costs can be attributed to a growing population in general.
The mounting health care costs can also be associated with costs related to technology as well as medication.
Seniors are not flocking to the territory, Hanley said, but they make up a stable demographic. He explained seniors move here for employment, even at age 65 or older.
Hanley said some of the biggest things the territory could do to help seniors’ health care is flipping misconceptions.
He explained that a growing seniors population is a good thing.
They have collective wisdom and are willing to participate in society. He feels this life experience should be harvested rather than feared.
The physician maintains there needs to be a broad range of housing for seniors that helps them retain their autonomy. This is the most important value to a senior, Hanley said.
Moving to health, he is concerned about smoking, drinking, mental health and inactivity.
He recognizes there has been progress in mental health services. He recommends specialization for seniors’ mental health needs.
He also proposed offering a shingles vaccine as a public health program to seniors between the ages of 65 and 79.
He has been participating in the Yukon Liquor Act review. Seniors, he feels, should be considered in this policy.
Overall, Hanley hopes the conversation about seniors’ health care continues beyond this report.
He states, in the report, that long-term engagement is needed to develop strategies to support aging in the Yukon.
As for not living as long, he pointed out there are higher rates of cancer-related deaths in the territory. This can be linked to the higher rate of smoking. There is also a higher rate of falls and injury which contributes, he added.
“I hope this report serves to inform people about the issues surrounding aging in Yukon today, and shows how healthy aging is within reach in Yukon,” said Hanley.
“If we can better support the aging journey, we can all prosper and benefit from the rich contribution that older people offer to our community.”
This report is done every three years, with the last one being in 2015. The topic for the next report has not yet been determined.
“I’m pleased to see this year’s report is focused on the needs of our aging population,” said Health and Social Services Minister Pauline Frost.
“Seniors have been Yukon’s fastest-growing demographic group for the last decade, and helping them age well in their own communities is a priority for our government.
“I would like to thank Dr. Hanley for his thorough and insightful work in compiling this valuable report,” Frost added.
“It will help us ensure that there is a continuum of health and social services available in the right place at the right time to support all Yukoners.”
See letter.
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Comments (10)
Up 0 Down 0
Great comments on Apr 13, 2019 at 8:13 pm
Having recently become a member of the Dismissed and Unseen, better known as a Senior, I'm glad to see my experience and observations aren't unique.
Becoming invisible is and unheard makes me feel like a ghost, and it happens everywhere - the bus, store line ups, in the doctor's office.
There's a lot of talk about respecting and valuing people....so long as they're 50 or younger I guess. So many stereotypes. Like you June, I've seen medical staff who, upon hearing about an injury, have actually said, "Getting old often involves pain, here's some Motrin". Well, the foot was actually broken and I'm on strong pain meds daily for regular pain. I know that one out of five people get addicted to opioids; I also know that means 4 out of 5 DON'T.
Physio and movement increase my chances of living independently, so maybe some help with grocery shopping and light house care during the healing period will keep me independent. "No, but we can put you on a housing list". As if I WANT to be in senior housing, which quickly becomes a slum.
I've worked and contributed all my life, still "all here" and intend to contribute more. But it's dispiriting being ignored by society and government, and I really wasn't expecting this in my senior years.
Up 19 Down 1
Groucho d'North on Apr 10, 2019 at 11:32 am
For years and years many of us seniors have scrimped and saved to put money away for our time following our employable years. We put our hard earned dollars into RRSPs which only delay the tax pain, and we also squirreled money away in savings accounts that got used for emergency expenses like vehicle repairs or septic tank replacements. We opted to stay home and save money rather than go for a tropical vacations knowing that the gravy train would come to an end eventually. We were responsible wage earners, planning for our future on a fixed income so we would not be a burden on our kids or others. In fact many of us have helped our kids with the down payment they needed to qualify for a mortgage to buy their own homes, the principle money maker in our present economy.
Too bad governments don’t think the same way. Whenever they can’t live within their means of generous transfer payments of our tax dollars from Ottawa, they increase taxes or fees and service charges for permits or co-pays for medical products and procedures we seniors depend on. We pay the lions share when we are required to visit medical facilities outside of the Yukon.
Fixed income means just that- our incomes do not go up just because we are poor money managers or we want something new, we must live within our limited means.
Governments of all stripes love to beat their chests and brag about Canada’s universal health care. Here’s a news flash- its not universal, there is a wide spectrum of healthcare costs the patient must pay depending on where you live and what ails you.
Our current Prime Minister seems to think the third world needs our money to invest in God or Allah knows what, more than investing in the health and well-being of aging Canadians, and to add insult to injury the Carbon Tax is going to make life really tough for those of us on fixed incomes who are just squeaking by now.
I believe there is lots that can be done to make the latter stages of life for seniors to be more affordable and happier. Step one is to stop taking more of our money from us. We saved for a rainy day when they didn’t, we lived up to our responsibilities to care for our futures and now governments are stealing away what we worked so hard to save.
It’s not criminal, but it should be.
Up 16 Down 0
Donovan on Apr 9, 2019 at 1:46 pm
If you are over 65 and struggling, forget help in the Yukon. If you are like at least half of seniors and live on a very fixed income, forget help in the Yukon. If life suddenly throws you a curve and you are homeless and cannot afford rental prices, forget help in the Yukon.
If you are a senior, just forget everything because the guberment never has nor ever will give two hoots about seniors. Every so often a politician comes along spouting "seniors reform" and they are voted out, or drop it by next election. After all why should they have to worry about it now that they have a nice guberment pension.
It's simple why seniors are not flocking to the Yukon, because it's too expensive, there are VERY limited services, and it's too dang cold and dark in the winter.
Those of us that have been here most of their lives have no intention of leaving our homes for as long as we can. None of us want to be in a nursing home where employees are collecting a paycheck, and rotate out faster than they change underwear. We want to be at home with care givers that can come to us. We would like a few basic services, like grocery delivery and help with housekeeping, available to those of us that truly need a little extra help, even in the communities. Remember we no longer qualify for most guberment programs, and the ones we do, are in desperate need of modernizing.
These programs are easy enough to pay for when you stop the common practice of consulting fee's piled on top of consulting fee's the guberment pays for EVERYTHING it does.
The knowledge that we hold is so much more than the younger generations will ever find on google, but nothing is done to try and preserve this knowledge. Ask an old man/woman a question about the old days and he/she will not stop talking until it's time to nap or eat. Workplace knowledge alone could save many lives and $1000's in workman's comp claims, but no one listens to the man/woman that's been doing the job for 45 years, their not management.
We are all around the Yukon. Some of us a 30 year old can't keep up with, others of us are just a bit slower, and some of us really could use an extra hand once in a while. We all complain about our aches and pains, but we earned that right through years of hard work and paying taxes to support the generations after us. The only real thing we want at the end of the day is respect. Because we have proudly earned each and every scar, wrinkle, and grey hair, raising this family we call Canada. Please remember this if you are a politician or thinking about becoming one, don't turn your backs on us.
Up 19 Down 1
Guncache on Apr 8, 2019 at 5:54 pm
Dr. Hanley appears to be in favour of the shingles vaccine. Hopefully that is for the vaccine Shingrix. Minister Frost does not appear to be in favour of this. Shingrix has been in many news articles but no forward movement on this. Let's get the Shingrix vaccine out to seniors in 2019. Give attention to seniors as much as you do to drug addicts
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Olliver on Apr 8, 2019 at 5:45 pm
I would like to suggest the senior's group be given an allowance of free medical marijuana of 3 and 1/2 grams per day to deal with pain, anxiety, arthritis, rheumatism, insomnia, parkinsons, ghout, MS, epilepsy, cancer and other ailments.
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General Franco on Apr 8, 2019 at 1:50 pm
Add to the list of negatives boredom, and a lack of spiritual pursuits. The Yukon is a cultural wasteland. Easy living and cheap housing for seniors does not make for meaningful life. The other thing he failed to mention is seniors YHC housing is consistently invaded by street people, vagrants, alcoholics, and Salvation Army cases turning the residence into a skid row hangout.
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Al on Apr 8, 2019 at 9:24 am
I think Dr Hanley has for the most part provided a good insight to a number of issues on senior living and health. It is a good start but clearly needs a further comprehensive analysis of systems and care related items.
Juniper, thank you for your comments. I can relate to a host of your points having experienced them ourselves (my wife and I). As a senior one often feels that when we approach health care we are a burden to the system. I am not saying that there are not very caring and compassionate care givers - there certainly are. Those folks I thank and appreciate their efforts. We do need to do more to ensure that we are not pushing folks into poverty who are unable to afford care. We say we have universal health care - I would say we have selective universal health care. That is when the decision to provide coverage is not based on need but financial considerations. Pharmacare and the Chronic Disease Program are cases in point.
There seems to be an underlying tone that as a senior you become less of a value to society. That has more to do with not the health care but rather people's attitudes toward seniors. Sad but true. This is not unique to the Yukon but a pervasive attitude in nearly all regions in Canada. We simply do not value nor have time for our Seniors. Dr Hanley made note of the wealth of knowledge and experience that rarely gets tapped into. That applies to the government as well. I would suggest that every government advisory board or committee be comprised of at least one senior.
While we struggle with society, health care and indifference, we can none-the-less be out there in the community. Seniors have an equal responsibility to make themselves to be heard. If you want to fade away then that is what will happen. You are your own best advocate in everything you do. Whether it is for better health care (demanding adequate health care - referrals, etc) or engaging in society. My wife and I refuse to dusted off in put in a corner, or warehoused as a step to the funeral home. We both are very engaged in the community. Living in the country has taught us resilience and independence. We are part of the broader community, however impediments to remain or becoming engaged requires a shift in thinking by our public institutions and society in general.
Up 25 Down 5
Max Mack on Apr 7, 2019 at 12:20 pm
"This conclusion is based on information that came from the Canadian Institute for Health Information. "
Dr. Hanley is really stretching when he claims that seniors are not moving to the Yukon to take advantage of our generous health and social benefits. In fact, I would say he is being disingenuous.
The CIHI information, suspect to begin with, cannot be used to draw Hanley's conclusion. I call BS on his conclusion.
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Juniper Jackson on Apr 5, 2019 at 6:53 pm
yeah.. I belong to Elder Active, I can't stress enough how much fun this group is or how hard they work for all seniors..
that being said.. on the flip side, I can't afford to live as long.. I don't live in senior housing, I pay my own rent, fuel, hydro, carbon tax..and taxi, hotel, food..because cancer specialists, neurologists, are in Van, Calgary or Edmonton..$75.00 a day starting the second day does not go very far.. assuming you have a decent doctor..a local family dr. was known to say he would not refer an escort anymore, if you have to see a specialist every six weeks, just move there.. people in senior housing can't afford to get sick either..so.. that might be one reason we die sooner..Medicine.. all senior medicine is not free. A retired doctor, a couple of secretaries and a nurse look at medications prescribed and decide if you get it or not. They effectively punish the patient for a dr. prescribing best practice medication. If a med does not work, the dr. won't leave you on it..but this board is not providing service to the patient, its mandate is to save money for the government.. so the cost of medicine might be another factor..why we die sooner.. it's hopeless..absolutely hopeless to try and change anything..
Pauline Frost is a write off, doesn't answer phone calls, return emails, or anything else.. hopelessness might be another reason.. Even diagnosis is often not correct for lack of testing or testing knowledge.. example? I had severe, terrible pain in my leg. Dr. duly did xrays, some deterioration. I griped so much, dr. thinks I am a junkie, finally sent me out. The xray done here was a couple against the wall. The xray the specialist did, leg straight up, leg on a box, leg out over someones shoulder, leg flexed, and back. Specialist diagnosis? Bone on bone, full hip replacement and bulges in my lower back. It took over a year to get that. MY life became isolated to a computer, bathroom and bed. I cant' stand long enough to cook, I live on what someone will go shopping for me and bring over. Hopeless.. almost. How many seniors apply for euthanasia?
The folks in flight travel are great, they can't change anything, but they are kind and helpful.. the folks in chronic..not so much. They are not kind, and the only answer they will ever give to my why? Is 'its not on the formulary'..those folks are decision makers, and they always decide no. And if you need something stronger than an aspirin, you are a junkie, hooked on opioids and it's worse than pulling teeth off a chicken to get a pain killer these days..unless you really are a junkie, then, you can pretty well get what you want. It's hard to live like this, to have an interest in living a life that is restricted and filled with pain. It wears you out, and you get too tired to keep up with the struggle. Oh yeah..and then there is that part of the populace that thinks.. you're old..put you on the iceberg.. some days, that doesn't seem like such a bad idea.
Anyone notice how many seniors are out in the workforce at late 60s? 70s? even 80s? some are there by choice..many many are not.
Up 26 Down 4
Peter Cambridge on Apr 5, 2019 at 5:22 pm
Seniors in Yukon are healthier than their contemporaries anywhere else in Canada.
We should be able to offer assisted living which is of higher quality than warehousing our seniors.