October 1 is the United Nations Day of the Older Person. It is a time to recognize the contributions that older people have made and are still making. It is also an occasion to commit ourselves to improving the lives of older people. Finally, October 1 is a day to protect our pensions and post-retirement benefits.
Older people in BC and the Yukon are much more than people to be “looked in on” and “taken care of”. Most older people live active and vibrant lives. Overall, in B.C., seniors are relatively healthy and independent. In 2017/18, the largest proportion of seniors aged 65 to 84 were living with medium (29%) or low (32%) complex chronic conditions, and only 3% were diagnosed with dementia. In BC, t he vast majority of seniors live alone or with their families.
In every corner of BC and the Yukon seniors are participating in society, volunteering, doing exercise, taking courses, socializing and much more.
A number of seniors continue to work at Canada Post, and every day we benefit from the work and dedication of seniors. A great deal of the initial work to organize RSMC’s was carried out by seniors who were working as Rural Routers. Our rights to collectively bargain and strike have been fought for, and protected by, seniors for years.
COVID-19 has shown us how vulnerable seniors in long term care are . Only 1% of Canadians reside in long-term care, but these deaths represent 80% of all COVID deaths in Canada (as of July 2020). This shocking fact reflects privatization, poor staffing, and lack of proper care hours in seniors’ facilities. Things need to change. Privatization of seniors care is not working. A report from the office of the BC Seniors Advocate found that for profit care homes paid lower wages, and provided less direct care hours than did public and nonprofit care homes. We all need to join the fight to improve long-term care.
This ties into the UN theme for the October 1 International Day of the Older Person. The UN stated “…considering the higher risks confronted by older persons during the outbreak of pandemics such as COVID19, policy and programmatic interventions must be targeted towards raising awareness of their special needs…”
One of the most important ways to mark the International Day of the Older Person is to continue to fight for our pension and post retirement benefits. In previous rounds of bargaining, Canada Post has tried to weaken the pension protections for new hires, and there is some suspicion that they may use COVID-19 to try this again. Even though Bill Morneau is no longer the Federal Finance Minister, there are no guarantees that the Liberals will take steps to protect our pensions. The newly elected Conservative leader –Erin O’Toole has not made any promises to protect defined benefit pensions.
On October 1, you can celebrate the International Day of the Older Person by:
– Honouring the older people in your life
– Supporting actions to protect seniors in long term care
– Continuing to defend our Canada Post Defined Benefit Pension.
Happy UN Day of the Older Person