What: Mature Action Committee (MAC) Annual General Meeting
Where: Maurice Young Millennium Place
When: Thursday, March 25, 7 to 9:30 p.m.
Is Whistler a seniors-smart community?
That’s the question noted gerontologist and community planner Dr. Gerald Hodge will be asking at MAC’s annual general meeting on March 25.
Hodge said it is incumbent upon communities to ensure there are adequate support systems and facilities to allow seniors to flourish and live happy and healthy lives.
"I think on the one hand there’s just the social humanistic side of it," said Hodge from his Hornby Island home this week.
"These are citizens of a community. They have their connections to the community, their history with the community and I guess you can even say they have certain rights to continue to be citizens (of their community).
"If the supports are not there for them than you may be losing citizens."
It’s true that Whistler has been losing its older citizens over the years despite MAC’s best efforts.
MAC, which is made up of more than 90 community members over the age of 50, has been fighting to get seniors housing built in Whistler for the past decade, to no avail.
Hodge doesn’t want to downplay the social reasons for providing seniors housing but at the same time he points out that there is a financial upside to having a seniors-smart community.
"These same people represent a very substantial (financial) impact on the community to the extent that they’re retired," said Hodge who is a senior himself.
"The bulk of our income comes from pensions or it comes from investments and savings.
"All that income is coming into the community just as if you’re importing it."
Hodge was involved in a study of seniors on Hornby Island recently, which estimated that roughly $4 million each year flows into the community from just 200 to 300 seniors’ incomes.
"I would suspect from what I know of the Whistler seniors community or older adult community that their incomes are probably higher even than Hornby," he said.
Whistler’s population projections point to a growing seniors sector in the resort.
By the year 2001 there were 225 Whistler residents age 65 and over. Almost 500 residents were between 55 and 64 year old range.
Hodge said that in the next five to seven years the numbers of seniors in Whistler is going to nearly triple. He calls it a "seniors surge".
"The strongest demographic tendency among older people is what the gerontologists call ‘aging in place,’" said Hodge.
"There’s going to be a real surge of seniors in Whistler and not least, in those that are over 80. And over 80 is when a lot of the needs start to really become evident."
Hodge’s idea of a seniors-smart community takes a more comprehensive look at the community as a whole, focusing on housing, transportation, health care and support services.
The first step is creating awareness about the need for a seniors-smart community, said Hodge. The second step is to look at the interrelationships of the various factors.
"First of all we have to be aware that these various aspects – health care, support services, transportation, housing – are all linked together, but from one community to another the links may be stronger or weaker, depending upon the population and the facilities and so forth that are there," said Hodge.
"You can’t just be looking at transportation or just looking at housing without keeping in mind these other connections."
MAC’s board of directors is starting to realize this.
For the past 10 years the organization has been singularly focused in its quest to get seniors housing.
Now the board is looking to expand MAC’s role from that of a seniors housing lobby group to be more encompassing in its scope, representing the overall needs of an aging population in Whistler.
MAC Chairman Gordon Leidal is hoping to get a handle on this expanded role during the workshop portion of the AGM.
He’s hoping Hodge will "prime the pump" for the discussion and get everyone focused on the task at hand – looking at Whistler’s needs for a seniors-smart community.
Hodge said things to consider are having access to diagnostic health services where doctors have familiarity with older age people and are aware of the processes that occur in aging.
In terms of transportation there are many options said Hodge, from access to public transit to a volunteer service or taxi vouchers.
"One of the things that happens in later life is that a lot of people aren’t able to drive or are unwilling to drive," said Hodge.
"It may be a matter of supplementing private transportation that people already have."
Whistler must also look at its support services from things like in-home care to Meals on Wheels to recreational and social programs at a seniors centre.
At the heart of all of this lies the issue of seniors housing, which in Whistler has been plagued by a number of obstacles since MAC began its crusade.
Leidal said this discussion is happening at a critical time in Whistler’s path as the community grapples with its future during the Comprehensive Sustainability Plan process, which will guide development in the valley over the next 20 years.
The municipality is sponsoring the AGM/workshop in part recognizing it is a valuable exercise for finding information for the CSP.
The meeting runs from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at MY Place. The workshop will take place after Hodge’s talk and will focus on the needs of seniors to allow them to age-in-place in Whistler. Old and new members alike are welcome to attend, as well as anyone interested in adding to the discussion.
