Well Seniors now do live longer and really 65 is the new "45" :P So that means I will really be 20 in Sept. haSeniors in Canada are set to become even more diverse as a group with "millions of baby boomers knocking on the door," a report released Tuesday says.
In A Portrait of Seniors in Canada, Statistics Canada says what it means to be a senior could change in important ways when members of the baby boom generation turn 65 in a few years.
The report says the number of seniors in Canada is on the increase, seniors are living longer, the term "old age" now includes a period of 20 years or more, and being a senior for many people is a much different experience than it used to be.
"Seniors themselves are changing," the report says. "Financially, they are much better off than they were a quarter century ago. They are better educated, they are internet savvy and they are active."
But seniors are facing many challenges, it says, including growing rates of obesity, as well as cancer, heart disease, arthritis, rheumatism and high blood pressure. Cancer and heart disease continue to be the main causes of death among seniors.
The report, a statistical profile of people aged 65 and over, says the number of seniors in Canada jumped to 4.2 million from 2.4 million between 1981 and 2005, with their corresponding share of the total population increasing to 13.1 per cent from 9.6 per cent.
Read the rest here