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SENIORS EDITION: 'A key time' for a Seniors Strategy

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Vaccinations against Covid-19 began on Thursday at Avens Manor in Yellowknife and at the Jimmy Erasmus Seniors Home in Behchokǫ̀. NNSL photo

Number of seniors in the NWT (60 years old and older)

2003 - 2,787
2018 –5,981
2035 - 9,383 (predicted)

Source: NWT Senior Society and GNWT Bureau of Statistics

As the baby-boomer generation continues to age in the NWT, a growing concern at the NWT Senior Society is the need to ensure there are proper policy measures to respond to it.

The NWT Senior Society remains adamant that work needs to begin to put together a “seniors strategy” that would especially help the five main areas that need to be addressed to help seniors thrive.

Suzette Montreuil, executive director for the NWT Seniors' Society, says the GNWT needs to create a Seniors Strategy that will bring services for the NWT's aging population under one roof.  NNSL file photo

“I think it means that this is the time where we need to seriously focus on services for seniors," said Suzette Montreuil, executive director of the NWT Seniors’ Society.  "We think they still have needs in the area of assisted living and care as well as issues around income, housing and transportation. No question about that for sure.”

One of the big things that the Seniors Society continues to push for is the creation of a seniors strategy that would bring together services that affect seniors under one policy document so to focus on their challenges as a whole. 

During the last term of the legislative assembly, the issue was brought up by Barb Hood, then executive director of the NWT Seniors Society. 

Glen Abernethy, who was minister responsible for seniors  along with Health and Social Services, said it was not something the department was looking for at this time. 

Montreuil said as the current executive director, it remains a priority.  

“We are really thinking that a combination of the increasing number and the needs that seniors have in terms of more in-home and supportive living as well as long-term care, continued problems with income, continued problems with housing and continued problems with transportation – it would involve many departments,” she said. “It would be very useful if they could come together under the notion of a Seniors Strategy, really.

“Why it is particularly the time to talk about it is because the number of seniors is getting into its peak and fastest growing sector of the population.”

Work moving forward

Damien Healy, spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Services, stated in an email that cabinet ministers met with the health department to discuss the possibility of a seniors strategy in January.

"GNWT ministers and officials met with the NWT Seniors’ Society to discuss their interest in establishing a Seniors Strategy," he stated. "With the recent release of the Mandate of the Government of the Northwest Territories 2019-2023, which includes actions to support the priority to 'Enable seniors to age in place with dignity,' GNWT officials will continue to work with the NWT Seniors Society to determine next steps."

Shane Thompson is the minister responsible for seniors.
NNSL file photo

Healy said the department is heavily focused on addressing challenges involving the NWT aging demographic and much of the government's policy direction over the near term is centered on the Continuing Care Services Action Plan 2017/18 – 2021/22 (CCSAP).

The document addresses several senior-related issues that include optimizing healthy aging by increasing opportunities and improving environments; improving home and community care services and caregiver supports; and providing equitable access and high quality  long term care.

Other items include improving palliative and continuing care services.

Healy noted that the GNWT has several initiatives in the works based on the document which includes an International Resident Assessment Instrument (interRAI), which gives health care providers the ability to identify the care needs of seniors and elders and find the services they need; a paid family/community caregiver pilot project in five communities which assists seniors not in home care; and partnering efforts with the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs and NWT Housing Corporation.

The territory also has a paid family/community caregiver pilot project in Behchoko, Fort Resolution, Yellowknife, Dettah, Ndilo, Hay River and Tuktoyaktuk and is partnering with several GNWT bodies on promoting healthy aging and increased supports for seniors' independent housing.

Shane Thompson is now the the minister responsible for seniors under the new government elected last year. He said in an interview Feb. 14 that his role involves being a "conduit" for other ministers that have seniors services in their portfolios - in particular health, housing, and education.

He said while there has been discussion on a seniors strategy, the department is working it out on how to best provide seniors services in the future. He would not commit to creating a strategy specifically.

"As far as a seniors strategy goes, we have met with the NWT Seniors Society and it is something we are looking at and discussing," he said. "I don’t want to make a commitment saying yes or no to it because we are working with them. Maybe it is not a strategy that is needed but instead amplifying the work that we are doing (for seniors)."