So yes, the argument can be made that seniors see doctors more often and for longer appointments than younger people in any given year ; but the difference in time taken isnt that much and, going back to that tax-filing rate, it would appear seniors are paying in full for the extra service. Perhaps the most dramatic evidence against the tsunami health-crisis thesis is the answer to this simplest of all questions: How do you feel? Pose this question to a group of 40-year-olds, as was done in the 2005 Canadian Community Health Survey, and 92 per cent will describe their physical health as good, very good or excellent. Ask a group of 60-year-olds the same question, and 83 per cent will give you the same good-to-excellent response; 70-year-olds ; 78 per cent; 80-year-olds ; 67 per cent. If this seems like some old people are gilding the lily by overestimating their actual physical hardiness, another table in that same survey, which used objective medical professional assessment as opposed to self-assessment, found that more than 70 per cent of 70-year-old Canadians were in very good or perfect functional health. Even 80-year-olds topped the 50 per cent mark.
The fact is that the majority of older Canadians today are healthy, thanks to better fitness, diet, nutrition and other wellness practices. Most debilitating conditions and catastrophic pathologies dont occur until after the age of 80 and, increasingly, not till after 85.
This profile doesnt jibe with media-driven popular perception. The tsunami scenario sees the Zoomer demographic, with our large numbers and increased life expectancy, as a group of people who are destined to spend most of their time simply staying alive and costing everybody else money. Well, while staying alive was a catchy refrain during the disco era, just staying alive is no way to live! And its not the way we do live! At the risk of calling Zoomers to the barricades, I think its incumbent on us to set the record straight about the threat our aging bodies represent to future generations. Old age isnt a disease any more than infancy is. Most Zoomers are active, contributing members of society, and well be that way for the lions share of our aging years. Just staying alive is not our preference; living well till we die is. So spread the word: when it comes to health and wellness, were not just part of the problem, were actually part of the solution. We might even be worth more to the world alive than dead. Moses Znaimer is president of CARP, a non-profit, non-partisan association for Canadas 14.5 million people aged 45-plus and those who care for them.
Keywords: demographics
