Seniors in Alberta

• There are 373,000 seniors in Alberta as of May 2008.
• Approximately 56 per cent of Alberta's seniors are female.
• More than 50 per cent of Alberta's seniors live in either Edmonton or Calgary.
• Population projections suggest that the number of seniors in Alberta will increase to 505,800 by 2016. By 2031, approximately one in five Albertans will be over the age of 65.
• Between July 2003 and June 2004, 353 more seniors moved into Alberta than moved out. Alberta has the second highest senior inter-provincial net migration after British Columbia.
• Most seniors own their homes (67 per cent). Approximately four out of five seniors who own their own homes have paid off their mortgage.
• Seniors are involved in their communities. Approximately one in five seniors participated in some form of volunteer work in 2000 and over 80 per cent made financial donations to charities in 2000.
• Alberta seniors are more active in the labour force than other Canadian seniors. In 2003, 11.2 per cent of Alberta residents over the age of 65 participated in the provincial workforce.
• The majority of seniors rate their health as excellent, very good or good.

Seniors Programs

• Approximately 142,000 Alberta seniors receive a cash benefit under the Alberta Seniors Benefit program.
• The 2006-07 budget for the Alberta Seniors Benefit is over $274 million.
• The Government of Alberta spent approximately $477.6 million through the Blue Cross Coverage for Seniors program in 2005-06.
• Blue Cross Coverage for Seniors includes costs for prescription drugs ($448.6 million), ambulance coverage ($23.5 million) and other benefits like prostheses, home nursing, and clinical psychology ($5.6 million).
• The Special Needs Assistance for Seniors program provides financial assistance for extraordinary or one-time expenses to seniors. In 2004-05, about 26,500 seniors received assistance through this program. The 2006-07 budget is over $24 million.
• The Dental Assistance for Seniors and the Optical Assistance for Seniors programs were introduced on April 1, 2005. The 2006-07 budget for these programs is over $60 million.
• The Education Property Tax Assistance for Seniors program was implemented for the 2005 tax year, with a budget of approximately $10 million.
• The Alberta government provides approximately $24 million annually to management agencies, assisting over 23,000 low-income seniors in government-owned and government-supported housing.
• Approximately 8,000 seniors in long-term care facilities receive financial assistance with their accommodation costs through the Alberta Seniors Benefit's Supplementary Accommodation Benefit.

Housing Programs

• Alberta Seniors and Community Supports is committed to funding transitional and supportive housing options to help people move out of emergency shelters and into affordable homes.
• Alberta Seniors and Community Supports relies on the cooperation and shared responsibilities within the communities at all levels of government, non-profit housing associations and the private sector to develop appropriate and effective solutions to address housing challenges.
• Approximately $54 million is provided annually to local housing authorities to support approximately 44,000 low-income individuals and persons with special needs, provided through 13,000 subsidized housing units and 4,000 rent supplements.
• Alberta Seniors and Community Supports provides $3 million annually through the Provincial Homeless Initiative to seven major urban centres to address the needs of the homeless. This program, plus funding from the federal government and municipalities, has added capacity for over 3,100 spaces in emergency, transitional, long-term, supportive, and special housing.
• In 2005-06, funding to support shelter providers and transitional housing totalled over $20 million for operational funding to 25 facilities.
• Approximately $100 million in provincial funding has been allocated to provide new affordable housing units through the Canada-Alberta Affordable Housing Program to develop close to 2,450 new affordable housing units in high-need, high-growth communities and rural and remote areas throughout Alberta.

• Seniors Housing

• Affordable Housing

• Family and Special Purpose Housing

• Rural Affordable Housing Initiative

• Homelessness

Albertans with Disabilities

• 46% of females with disabilities and 48% of males with disabilities complete some level of post-secondary education.
• More than half (52%) of Albertans with disabilities aged 15 to 64 are employed. This is the second highest employment rate in the country, and significantly higher than the national average of 41.5%.

Programs for Albertans with Disabilities

• Nearly 15% of Albertans aged 15 and over report having one or more disabilities, including those with a developmental or cognitive disability, acquired brain injury, sensory impairment and mobility limitations.

• The Ministry provides financial supports, health-related benefits, housing supports and community inclusion supports to help Albertans with disabilities be as active as possible in their communities.

• Some of the Ministry’s disability related programs and services include:

  • Alberta Aids to Daily Living

  • Alberta Brain Injury Initiative

  • Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH)

  • Office of Disability Issues

  • Persons with Developmental Disabilities (PDD) program

  • Premier’s Council on the Status of Persons with Disabilities

  • Program Development for People with Disabilities Initiative

  • Protection for Persons in Care

Contact us for more information: seniors.communications@gov.ab.ca