CARP Action Online: What are the issues brought on by the aging of the population?
Decreased mobility can hinder our independence and quality of life as we get older. I mean an automobile can be more than just a method of transportation, it can become a symbol of our independence. Some older drivers have trouble driving in winter, so they become seasonally limited. It’s a psychological and emotional loss, not just a mobility issue. We have not designed our neighborhoods properly for aging. Most neighborhoods were designed for raising young kids, getting around in a mini-van. In most suburban communities the running joke is that you have to use a liter of gas to get a liter of milk.
When mobility is decreased everything becomes a very big challenge. Many European systems don’t have this challenge because they have good high-quality public transportation, they have been much more advanced in adopting the principles of what’s called universal design, which is a barrier-free, stair-free environment in which people can maneuver through regardless of their capacities.
And also, people don’t like leaving their homes. Whether you live in Quebec, Mississauga or Surrey, people tend to have their friends, their Rotary Clubs, their church… A lot of seniors don’t have housing systems that are supportive and sustainable like supportive housing, or at the very least condos or apartment buildings were you don’t have the challenges of maintaining the exterior of the building or clearing the snow. We have to really re-think suburban single home communities.
CARP Action Online: What kind of public policy initiatives would you recommend to address these challenges?
There really haven’t been any public policy initiatives that have tackle this yet. It became a real problem in Ottawa, when people would live in their houses until they died… The houses would have roofs that hadn’t been replaced in forty years, they would be run down and not only does that drive down the property value in your home, but it also runs down the property values in the entire neighborhood. There is a movement that started years ago called “lifelong neighborhoods” and this happened because in some parts of the world the aging demographic is more advanced than it is in Canada.
We are looking at how to create tax incentives and financial aids targeted at helping people stay in their homes, how to create networks for community services. There are perhaps job programs to engage young people to help maintain these homes… You help people maintain their properties, to work with seniors and local financial institutions and start looking at how to create a pool of capital for mid-rise and supportive housing so people can move to a less stressful living environment that might require less maintenance and where they will have fewer chores, less costs and can live communally with their friends in the neighborhood of their choosing.
It’s about looking at how you design city services, address wellness and integrate seniors more to the life of the community. How do you locate sustainable housing and mobility-hindered persons closer to major streets and essential city services? Ensure that you have housing options that don’t take up major amounts of space, and design thoughtfully.
