The province is recognizing its oldest residents over the next seven days.
The 36th edition of Seniors Week kicked off with an event in Taber on Monday, and while the week is a celebration of the aging population, it’s also shining a light on some of the issues they face.
While speaking to his constituents, Taber-Warner MLA Grant Hunter said the biggest topic of conversation is affordability.
“Senior citizens are on a fixed income, and when you have inflation at six to seven per cent — this is happening all over the world, this isn’t just an Alberta phenomenon — every government in the world is struggling to figure out how to address this,” he said. “We haven’t seen this since the ’80s.”
Hunter was joined by seniors and housing minister Josephine Pon, who officially launched the week-long celebration. She says the government is working hard to find solutions that will ease the burden on seniors, but there’s nothing to announce just yet.
“We have a couple of initiatives we’re planning right now, and I can’t release yet, but we address that very closely, we understand,” Pon said.
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The minister said according to government statistics, the province predicts that by 2035, Alberta will be home to more than one million seniors.
Lethbridge Senior Citizens Organization (LSCO) executive director Rob Miyashiro says that rapid growth needs to be met with an emphasis on services for seniors.
“We’re going to run into a storm of hurt if we don’t learn to address this because we’re going to have this huge bulge of people that are 60 or 65 years and older who are going to need services and support,” he said.
Miyashiro says inflation and affordable housing are obvious issues, but the province also needs to better assist those transitioning into their senior years with more information and support.
“For someone that’s never had to address those things, and you’re older — it becomes frustrating because you don’t know where to go,” he said.
“Those are issues as well for people; not just finding a place to live and not just having things that are less affordable, but not knowing how to get what you need.”
The province is set to announce new mental health and wellness supports for seniors on Tuesday in Calgary.
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