Point/Counterpoint

Thereafter, he should find out, through an objective financial analysis (taking into account all relevant demographic and economic factors), by how much, as the case may be, health care costs will increase as a percentage of GDP pursuant to the aging population. To my knowledge, no such study has yet been done.

It would also be opportune in this respect to refer Rudyard Griffiths to the refreshing February 7 Newsweek’s Fareed Zakaria article “Worthwhile Canadian Initiative”
. This article should be brought to the attention of all Canadian politicians and bank leaders with a note encouraging them to stick to the policies that produced our more enviable financial situation.

Regards,
Bernard (Bernie) Dussault
Senior Research and Communications Officer
FSNA National Office

Some had personal and anecdotal reactions to the story:

After retiring, my father founded a radio-control model airplane club and later a photography club (which he mentored well into his eighties) in Courtenay, BC. These things benefitted the many young members. My mother was a regular volunteer at a local senior citizens’ centre there, while a senior.

When I first learned to play musical instruments in my twenties, it was from a very outgoing senior who contributed greatly to a local amateur musician’s group, to the great benefit of the majority of members, who were young.

Most of us seniors in this advocacy group would never have had the time before retirement to advocate for reforms like pension income splitting (which now puts general income splitting within easier reach for younger Canadians).

I just have to look around to see that most volunteering like driving patients to medical appointments, manning charity sales stands, running the local amateur theatre group, and many other things are done by seniors.

And this does not even mention the valuable care activity and mentoring seniors do within their own families.
Frank Stokes
CAPS

The image of calling a 77 year old who was on the ski hill is a very good idea- make it concrete, specific and dramatic. This image stays in the reader’s mind way longer than any words. I just got back from the birthday part of my aunt who turned 90 yesterday. She had one exposure to the health care system, in her fifties, for bowel cancer, and has never looked back. She lives in an assisted living facility to get meals prepared but is out every day shopping and socializing and having fun. She moved around the room welcoming guests, mobile, smiling, gracious and does not use a walker or other aides.. She is very very lucky but so are we- to have her in our lives. She has always been a rock of the community, playing piano at seniors’ homes much of her adult life, for free. My favorite image of her is that when we took her to the revolving restaurant of the Calgary Tower a few years ago, she put one of her shoes on the ledge as a joke, and we all waited the full hour as all diners rolled past it till we returned to it an hour later. She is fun.