Seniors Advocate Isobel Mackenzie- photo 250News

Prince George, B.C. –  The  seniors of tomorrow  will  be different than the seniors of today says BC Seniors Advocate Isobel Mackenzie.

Prince George was one  of the stops  on Mackenzie’s tour  of the province  and says  her visit  is a two way street “I like to talk a little  about the office and the work we’re doing, and I like to hear  from people, their issues, their concerns their perspective on some of the work we’re doing.”

Mackenzie has been  B.C.’s Senior’s Advocate for two years,  and in that time  has released 7  reports on  everything from  appropriate  housing  to  care.  She has made numerous recommendations to government and says progress is being made ” First of all, we’re raising awareness and that in itself is a step forward.  Number two, I think the government is listening and in some areas it is  acting, not in all areas but that doesn’t mean  they  aren’t going to act,  they just haven’t done it yet.”

She points to legislative changes in assisted living as one of the  positive changes,  “Which I think for people in the north is key,  the North has one of the highest percentages of people in residential care that don’t need to be there and one of the reasons is we didn’t have appropriate assisted living legislation.”  She says there has also been positive action on support for caregivers “I think the province’s ears perked up at the sound of what’s going to happen if  we don’t support these caregivers, and I think  most recently  in response to our  directory on residential care and the care hours  the Minister of Health  has launched a specific  investigation into what are our care hours and are they adequate.”

17% of  B.C.’s population is over the age  of 65,  a percentage that is expected to  climb to 24% of the population by the year 2031 and with people living longer  there will have to be a shift in  thinking  “I think what has  to shift is the stereotyping of people simply because they are  aged 65 or because  they have grey hair and to recognize the contributions that are  made, can be made, and will be made, and I think that will come.”

Having  made stops in Houston  and Vanderhoof before arriving in Prince George,  she says the issues  facing rural seniors  are  really no different than those facing  seniors in  more urban  regions  “The issue  is the  same, transportation, housing, but why it’s an issue is different,  and the solution is different.”  She says one things is clear, there  is no “one size fits all” solution  “Not even for seniors in the same community never mind different communities.”

She says the  first wave of activism for baby boomers was activism for their parents, “That’s the wave we’re  in now and the next wave is going to be the activism for themselves and a big part of that is going to be ‘listen to me,  I know what I  want I know my mind and don’t tell  me what to do’.  She says the seniors  today (which she pegs as being  over 80)  have different attitudes from those yet to  come “Those folks came from an era  of respecting authority, following the rules, not challenging  the rules,  they are a fairly compliant lot.  Well the next wave coming through is not so compliant, so I think that will push things quite a bit.”