Alberta's Aging Population

The province began looking into the impact of the aging population in 1998 with the  Government-wide Study on the Impact of the Aging Population. The study was designed to review future trends and programs and identify key issues while moving Albertans towards thinking about future steps in preparing for the aging population.

The final report, which was released in June 2000, outlined a number of recommendations. The themes of these recommendations focused on: wellness and healthy lifestyles, financial security, work and retirement, housing options, informal caregivers and volunteers, Alberta's workforce and the aging population, supportive communities, and, opportunities for lifelong learning.

The study also noted that for future planning to be successful it required a coordinated approach among government, seniors, and seniors-based agencies and organizations. Following the government-wide study and the establishment of the Ministry of Seniors in 2001, the government announced the cross-ministry Seniors Policy Initiative. The Seniors Policy Initiative became one of the four cross-government policy initiatives for 2001-02.

It focused on addressing the challenges and opportunities of the aging population and was focused on advancing seniors' issues within the government. The plan involved 18 ministries within government with a focus on coordinating programs and services for seniors and ensuring that consideration was given to the well-being and independence of seniors. In addition to a coordinated approach, another key element was that these programs would remain affordable and sustainable for the future.

In 2002-03, the Seniors Policy Initiative was rolled into the Government of Alberta's Health Sustainability Initiative. Alberta Seniors and Community Supports is co-chairing this cross-ministry initiative with the ministries of Alberta Health and Wellness and Alberta Finance. One of the accomplishments of the Health Sustainability Initiative with respect to seniors is   Alberta's Healthy Aging and Seniors Wellness Strategic Framework.

The framework's key components are promoting health and preventing disease and injury, optimizing mental and physical functioning among seniors, managing chronic disease, and enabling seniors to engage with life by remaining active with your peers. Regional Health Authorities in Alberta are now working to integrate it into their regional plans.

Currently, the Ministry of Seniors and Community Supports is involved in other cross-ministry projects including a partnership with Alberta Transportation and a number of other ministries in developing a 10-year strategy on the aging of the driving population, working with the Ministry of Human Resources and Employment to provide information to industry about the value of older workers, and providing input into abuse of older adults with the Ministry of Children's Services.

While the ministry's current programs are effective and responsive in addressing the needs of today's lower-income seniors, the ministry must also focus on the "baby-boom" generation. This will include developing initiatives that focus on preparing for retirement and ensuring the ministry's programs can meet the evolving needs of tomorrow's seniors as future generations of seniors may require different approaches related to healthy aging, retirement ages, access to health care, financial planning and lifelong learning.

Resources for Population Aging

Population Aging

Long-term Care

  • Established in 1997, the mandate of Long Term Care Review Policy Advisory Committee (Alberta) is to consider the impact of an aging population and develop a direction for Alberta's continuing care system. Various reports are available on the  Alberta Health and Wellness website, including the final report "Healthy Aging: New Directions for Care" and "Tracking Progress: A Progress Report on Continuing Care Reform in Alberta."

Housing

  • Please refer to "A Profile of Alberta Seniors." This document provides information on the number and proportion of seniors living in private and collective dwellings.
  • For more recent statistical information on housing, family and living arrangements, and collective dwellings, refer to the Census 2001 information available from Statistics Canada. Various topic-based tabulations are available on the  Statistics Canada website.

Websites