NACA GRADES HOW WELL CANADIAN SENIORS ARE DOING

Vancouver, July 3, 2001 - The National Advisory Council on Aging (NACA) today unveiled the results of the first Report Card on seniors in Canada at the World Congress of the International Association on Gerontology. The Report Card looked at how well Canadian seniors are doing in five key areas: health, health services, economic status, living conditions and participation in society. The overall grade for the five questions under study is a ‘C' defined as ‘satisfactory', according to NACA.

"Last year, we told government there were important challenges in our aging Canadian society," said NACA Chairperson Patricia Raymaker. "This year, we are telling government to pay attention: A ‘C' means the situation is satisfactory, but that significant improvements are needed. It is important for the federal government to show leadership in preparing our country for its changing age structure," concluded Raymaker.

To develop the Report Card, NACA identified a set of national indicators which begin to provide answers to the five questions posed. Trend directions for each area are noted: is the situation improving? worsening? stable? Good performances or the need for improvements are also noted. The Report Card identifies priorities for immediate action as well. For example, NACA urges action on injury prevention, the promotion of physical activity and suicide prevention. In the area of economic security, the priority should be on seniors living alone. In the housing sector, the provision of affordable rental housing is a concern.

As a first, the Report Card sets the stage for monitoring the situation of seniors over the next several decades. NACA intends to publish a full Report Card every five years, and regular progress reports in between that focus on priority areas. Over time, the picture of how seniors are doing in Canada will have a sharper focus and bring to light important information that is currently unavailable.

The National Advisory Council on Aging was created on May 1, 1980 to advise the Minister of Health on all issues relating to the aging of the Canadian population.
For copies of the report or its companion document, visit us at: http://www.naca.ca.

For additional information, contact:

Michelle Soulière at Health Canada (613) 952-9727
Isabelle Duguay at Health Canada (613) 957-2873