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View Brad Vis Profile
CPC (BC)
As it relates to this impact of COVID-19 on seniors, you mentioned the cost of food going up in rural areas. Has the increase in the cost of food through inflation had a negative impact on seniors?
Debra Shime
View Debra Shime Profile
Debra Shime
2021-06-03 16:55
I can't speak specifically to that. Again, I'm happy to find information if that would be useful for you, but I think our experience in working and funding in the rural and remote areas was that not only was food more expensive, but there was also a supply-demand issue, right?
For example, we had a lot of trouble getting—this is not to the food issue—technology to folks, because there were no iPads available. Everybody was saying, yes, they'll get seniors iPads and connect them, but it was really hard to get those, to purchase those in bulk, for some communities. I would say that generally, the cost of food went up and lower-income families struggled in rural and remote areas to be able to afford what they might previously have been able to pay for.
View Brad Vis Profile
CPC (BC)
Yes, I found that in the community of Lillooet, for example. There's only one place where you can purchase groceries.
I heard from a number of my senior constituents that they can't afford to buy cauliflower anymore because of the inflation in the cost of groceries in those communities. For me, if I have to pay five or six dollars for a head of cauliflower, it's not that big a deal, but when you're a senior living on a fixed income, those price increases, which I think were much more heightened for essential food items like vegetables, are a real big deal when you're planning on only paying two dollars, for example, when you're living on a fixed income.
Debra Shime
View Debra Shime Profile
Debra Shime
2021-06-03 16:57
We know that low-income communities often struggle to afford healthy food. There may be food available, but it's not always the healthy fresh fruit and vegetables that you alluded to in your comment. I think that's an important factor as well.
Gisèle Tassé-Goodman
View Gisèle Tassé-Goodman Profile
Gisèle Tassé-Goodman
2021-06-03 17:06
I will first answer and will then yield the floor to Mr. Prud'homme, so he can complete my answer.
Thank you for the question.
I would begin by saying that social inclusion is paramount for healthy aging. For example, the growing price of gas is quite real for everyone, and it is even more difficult for people who are receiving the guaranteed income supplement and the old age security pension. Increasing the old age security pension by 10% starting at age 75 creates inequality among seniors. A number of seniors have been saying this to us.
Rent also increases every year, and that affects people aged 65 and over, as it does those aged 75 and over. The grocery bill has also increased a lot. I was told that a dozen eggs no longer cost the same as they did one or two years ago. The price of fruits and vegetables has increased dramatically. The grocery bill is a heavy burden for people aged 65 and over, as it is for those aged 75 and over.
In many cases, there are more widowed women than widowed men among those aged 65 and over. Those women often become caretakers for their aging parents. Therefore, that means those women are deprived of income because they dedicate their time to taking care of their aging parents' health.
In many other cases, as well, men and women—but especially women—stayed at home to raise their children and take care of their education. They have not participated in the labour market, which means they have very low or no pension funds.
Those people start receiving the old age security pension and the guaranteed income supplement at 65 years of age, and they live with very little money—$18,500 a year. That's very little money to live on. That is why Réseau FADOQ is calling for the 10% increase to be provided to all seniors aged 65 and over, unconditionally.
Mr. Prud'homme, do you want to add anything?
View Corey Tochor Profile
CPC (SK)
That supports some of the reports we are hearing in the media about the pandemic relief having gone to the most well off versus going to families and seniors who need help the most. That's where I question why that was done and especially for that age group.
My office has been talking with seniors, and it's more the younger seniors who are in tougher financial situations than the older seniors. You'll find low-income seniors in every age group. If you were going to design a program.... Let's think about those who are under 75 years of age versus the ones who are older, It's not just the years they would have worked, and perhaps accumulated more savings; it's the lower-income seniors who are retiring or have retired in the last five years for whom I feel the worst.
The last time our country was facing runaway inflation, they experienced hyperinflation with fewer dollars. They had more debt, such as mortgages. What occurred was that once interest rates skyrocketed for those individuals back in the 1980s, their savings accounts were negatively affected by inflation more so than older seniors. For older seniors who went through that time period and were fortunate enough to have had work at that time, they were actually better off. I question why the Liberals have drawn that line and made two different classes.
It brings up the point of inflation, and you talked about it before. What are you hearing from seniors anecdotally? The cost of living is up. They're making different decisions. I'd like to hear if you have some first-hand stories of what decisions seniors are making, because of inflation and the increase in the cost of living.
Danis Prud'homme
View Danis Prud'homme Profile
Danis Prud'homme
2021-06-03 17:22
There are actually several considerations.
The number of choices seniors must make is growing for two reasons.
First, the cost of groceries has increased tremendously, according to what we have been told, as has the cost of grocery deliveries, as seniors are no longer mobile in some cases.
Second, seniors have found themselves isolated. They no longer had visits, and so they no longer had help, either. The lack of access to technology has also contributed to their isolation. In more remote regions, where there was no [technical difficulties]. In some villages, grocery stores, Canada Post offices and bank branches closed their doors. Finally, seniors found themselves even more isolated and even poorer, and that has resulted in additional costs.
Amy Coupal
View Amy Coupal Profile
Amy Coupal
2021-02-18 11:08
Thank you and good morning to the members of the Standing Committee on the Status of Women. I really appreciate the opportunity to present to you here today.
I am here as the CEO of the Ontario Caregiver Organization, a non-advocacy organization that gives voice to Ontario's caregivers and provides research, support programs and services to caregivers with the goal of enhancing the caregiver experience in Ontario. The role of caregiver is one I know well from personal experience.
Ontario has 3.3 million unpaid caregivers who provide essential health and emotional care to family members, friends or neighbours with a physical and/or mental health challenge, both in their homes and in health care settings such as hospitals, long-term care and retirement homes, group homes and treatment centres. The majority of caregivers in Ontario are women at 54%. The largest age category at 41% of caregivers is between the ages of 46 and 65.
Our organization tracks the caregiver experience through our annual “Spotlight on Ontario's Caregivers” report. This year we found that before the COVID-19 outbreak, 47% of women provided up to four hours of care in a typical week, 15% between five to nine hours, and almost one-third, at 29%, provided care for more than 10 hours per week. Since the outbreak, the hours put in for caregiving have increased, with 18% now providing care for five to nine hours and 31% providing care for more than 10 hours per week.
One of the primary needs that we hear from caregivers, which I would like the committee to understand and recognize, is that caregivers want to be valued and seen as essential within the continuum of care, as the emotional, practical and medical support they provide is vital to the journey of the care recipient. This need has become especially apparent during the pandemic. Also of primary concern with caregivers is the inclusion of the caregiver in designing health care transformation and policy.
The other predominant theme we hear from caregivers is that they are struggling to cope. Fifty per cent of women caregivers admit that the overall management of caregiving responsibilities is stressful. Caregivers are concerned about their own mental health. This was the case before the pandemic, and it is certainly worse now. The toll and stress impact work as well as productivity.
Half of women caregivers are stressed about balancing their caregiving responsibilities and work. Among those who are employed and are caregiving, a quarter have taken some time off during the day. Twenty-five per cent of caregivers have done this. Twenty-seven per cent of caregivers have taken a few days off while one-fifth—somewhere between 15% and 19%—have reduced or altered their working hours to manage caregiving.
Forty-three per cent tell us that they wish there was more support from their employers. For 38%, their work hours are not flexible enough to allow them to manage their caregiving responsibilities, and 33% are worried that they may lose their jobs because of their caregiving responsibilities, which I think is definitely notable.
The economic toll on women caregivers is also growing. One-third, or 31%, find it stressful to manage finances, pay bills and pay for care receiver's needs, medicine, supplies and more. Thirty-nine per cent of women caregivers are experiencing financial hardships, which 14% say are due to their caregiving responsibilities. Four in 10, or 41% of caregivers, use their personal finances, and 35% say they've been using their savings to pay for caregiving expenses. Between 30% and 33% of women caregivers say they are incurring more costs and are using more of their personal finances to pay for caregiving expenses since the outbreak.
Overall in Ontario, 80% of caregivers say they are responsible for paying for the expenses of the person they are caring for. Caregivers need specialized and caregiver-focused support programs, respite and services. Our organization is one of the few that offer these, but national programs and services do not widely exist.
While we can't predict how long this pandemic will last, we know that there are a growing number of new caregivers, and many of those who were caregiving before the pandemic need extra support. The caregiver experience is improved when we are inclusive of caregiver voices, especially those of women caregivers, who are the majority of caregivers, and continue to adapt and respond with new resources, policies and programming to improve the caregiver experience as we look to recover.
Thank you.
View Andréanne Larouche Profile
BQ (QC)
There was no interpretation, which is unfortunate. The sound quality wasn't good enough for us to hear the last speaker.
However, you did confirm that the financial circumstances of caregivers, particularly older caregivers, were already difficult before the pandemic. You mentioned all the expenses they had to incur and the fact that prices—rents, groceries and drugs—have risen during the pandemic. You ensured us that these are included in expenses and that some recurring, longer-term assistance should be considered to increase their purchasing power.
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