MIKE DE SOUZA writes in the VANCOUVER SUN:
The number of seniors living in a collective dwelling such as a nursing home has increased from 285,370 in 2001 to 393,150 in 2011.
Canada’s rapidly aging population has prompted a 38 per cent increase of the number of seniors living in nursing homes or other collective dwellings over the last decade, according to census figures released Wednesday by Statistics Canada.
The numbers suggested that many trends were steady since 2001, with nearly four out of five seniors still living alone or with their partners, and the rest living either in a collective, with relatives or non-relatives.
But the growth in the total amount of Canadians aged 65 and over, from about 3.9 million in 2001 to about 4.9 million in 2011, is causing significant growth in every category, including retirement and nursing homes or hospitals.
“You hear the story that everybody is living longer, healthier lives, and that’s still true,” said Susan Eng, a vice president for CARP, an advocacy group for Canadian seniors, said in an interview. READ MORE.