10th Annual NICE Knowledge Exchange
Toronto, Ontario
May 28, 2015
Thank you for that kind introduction.
It is an honour to be here with you again this year. And to share the same podium with such an impressive group of experts in the field of aging.
I would like to acknowledge my provincial counterpart who also joins us today, the Honourable Mario Sergio.
I would also like to congratulate NICE on hosting its 10th Knowledge Exchange.
I wanted to take the opportunity today to talk briefly about some of the things that I have learned over the past 4 years as the Minister of State for Seniors. It has been a lesson for me in the importance of collaboration and working together.
Information
First, information; it is critical.
Very early on we heard from Canadians that many citizens are confused about what the different levels of government do, and are struggling to access needed, basic information.
In response, we developed the Information for Seniors and Information for Caregiver web portals which are located at Canada.ca/Seniors.
Using an interactive map of Canada, these two web portals provide links directly to federal, provincial and municipal programs and services.
This was done collaboratively with my colleagues, the Provincial and Territorial Ministers responsible for Seniors in 2012, who I have had the pleasure of meeting with on four occasions over the past 4 years.
Canada.ca/Seniors also provides links to the United Way’s excellent 211 information service in those provinces where it is currently available. 211 is an information referral service available online or via telephone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in over 100 languages, and provides information to citizens from all levels of government as well as a variety of community organizations. I highly recommend this excellent resource.
Social Isolation
In 2014, I was pleased to appoint Professor Andrew Wister as Chair of the National Seniors Council.
In November of last year, the National Seniors Council released its report entitled “Report on the Social Isolation of Seniors”. This report was particularly significant in bringing to light the issue of social isolation among Canada’s seniors.
Social isolation can be defined as “a low quantity and quality of contact with others”. Social isolation is different than loneliness, which is the subjective perception of a lack of interaction or contact with others. Rather, a situation of social isolation involves few social contacts and few social roles, as well as the absence of mutually rewarding relationships.
The impact of social isolation on seniors is very troubling. Some of the key findings of the report illustrate the unique challenges and risks that social isolation can place upon seniors.
Social isolation can cause a lack of social cohesion and risks the permanent loss of the valuable social contributions that seniors make to their communities.
Socially isolated seniors are more likely to be at risk of harms such as elder abuse, including financial abuse and fraud.
They are also more likely to experience mental health challenges such as depression, social anxiety, loneliness and addictions. Social isolation is correlated to dementia, as well.
On the other hand, it is clear that quality contact with a community or a network of support can have a profound impact on the livelihood, mental and physical health and well-being of seniors as well as the prosperity of local communities.
The report of the National Seniors Council identified a number of measures that may help to reduce the social isolation of seniors. These include public awareness, the promotion and improved accessibility of information, services and programs for seniors, and continued research into this complex issue.
And a final recommendation from the Council’s 2014 report was for the Federal Government to assist with the collective capacity-building of organizations to address the social isolation of seniors with social innovation.
This report has in turn led us to consider how the New Horizons for Seniors Program might support the work of a wide variety of organizations in attempting to address this complex issue.
I am pleased to announce that the new theme for the Pan-Canadian New Horizons for Seniors program is social isolation. The call-for-proposals will be launched tomorrow, together with the call-for-proposals for Community-Based grants. You are most welcome to join me tomorrow at 11:00AM at the Mon Sheong Home for the Aged on D’Arcy Street for the launch.
Over the next 5 years, the Pan-Canadian New Horizons stream will focus upon reducing the social isolation of seniors, not in theory, but in the real lives of seniors in Canadian communities.
Collaboration and innovation are at the core of what we are aiming for. As such, the Government will be partnering with the McConnell Family Foundation of Canada, and their Innoweave initiative to help build partnerships, and spur innovative ideas among organizations that apply.
Successful applicants must demonstrate an ability to plan and work collaboratively with other organizations in a particular region or community.
For information on the application process please visit Canada.ca/Seniors.
Caregiving
Over the past four years I have also found that supporting caregivers is a matter that goes hand-in-hand with supporting seniors.
Last June I launched the Canadian Employer Panel for Caregivers. The panel consisted of representatives from small, medium and large size businesses across the country, including Johnson & Johnson, Ernst & Young and Home Depot.
The annual cost of lost productivity to Canadian employers due to caregiving responsibilities is estimated at $1.3 billion dollars annually.
The Panel found that of the estimated 6 million Canadians that provide unpaid, informal care while working, most were providing care to seniors, and most were themselves over the age of 45.
Many of the same people who provide essential care for seniors are also some of the best and brightest participants in the labour force, often possessing deep company and industry knowledge.
The Panel discovered that while many employers across Canada are aware of caregiving responsibilities among their employee base, few are aware of the magnitude of their caregiving responsibilities.
A danger for the labour force is that some employed caregivers may elect to leave work early to provide care to a loved one, typically an aging parent.
The Panel’s work culminated in the release of an excellent report titled, “When Work and Caregiving Collide – How Employers can Support their Employees who are Caregiving”, in January of this year. The report contains their findings, with practical resources that companies of all sizes can use in assessing the business impact of caregiving and how flexible workplace practices can help them retain their best and brightest talent.
Seniors and Homelessness
I would also like to comment briefly on the issue of seniors and homelessness.
Homelessness among the elderly is troubling, particularly for those with mental illness or impairment, who may be incapable of applying for Canada Pension Plan (CPP), Old Age Security (OAS) and Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS). On the front lines of servicing this community are municipalities and charitable or non-profit organizations.
In January, 2015, the Government announced that municipalities and charitable or non-profit organizations may apply to administer CPP and OAS/GIS benefits on behalf of a senior who is homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, and who is suffering from some degree of mental impairment or incapability.
Friends, it is a sad irony that these most vulnerable seniors may not have the benefit of the CPP, OAS and GIS benefits to which they are entitled by law – benefits that could make a tremendous difference in their lives.
I sincerely hope that those cities and organizations working on the front lines of outreach and service delivery collaborate with us towards this common objective. We are trying hard to reach out to relevant municipalities and organizations and I would note that we have an information booth today which is devoted largely to this initiative.
Seniors Policy
Finally, I want to comment briefly on the nature of seniors as an area of public policy analysis.
Seniors policy is inherently interdisciplinary.
Issues affecting Canadian seniors fall within the scope of many federal departments and agencies.
While the Office of the Minister of State is located within Employment and Social Development Canada – part of my job is to work collaboratively with other Federal Cabinet Ministers – most of them in much larger departments – with respect to issues affecting Canada’s seniors.
I have found that to do the work of Seniors Policy, one of the basic requirements is to bring together information and perspectives from across the whole of government relevant to seniors and assess it holistically.
Sometimes this work requires mediating complex relationships that exist within and between these larger departments and agencies across government. This can be a difficult task for public officials working the area of Seniors Policy. Depending on the issue, the relevant expertise and policy authorities may reside in another department altogether. This presents challenges and calls for collaborative approaches to doing the work of Seniors Policy.
Last year we published the Government of Canada: Action for Seniors report. The premise of this report was simple. Gather together, in one document, the various activities of the Federal Government that pertain, in one way or another, to seniors. We are very pleased with the result.
Employment and Social Development Canada chairs an interdepartmental committee which brings together 22 Federal departments and agencies and serves as a focal point for the wide range of disciplines affected by seniors’ issues. It was the work of that table that allowed us to produce the Action for Seniors report.
The Report has been warmly received by Canadians. But – separate from the report itself – I would add that the process of producing the report was helpful for us as it provided a focal point for a comprehensive examination of seniors policy federally.
So, the lesson I learned is that seniors policy is interdisciplinary, comprised of many sources from across government, and that to address seniors issues, effort is required to bring together and assess all of the relevant inputs within government. This is not an easy task, but in my view, it is an essential one.
Thank you for giving me this opportunity to share some of these observations with you.
It is always such a pleasure to be here at NICE. I look forward to the rest of the morning. Thank you very much.
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