While one can certainly empathize with the protesters over the recent murder of a black man by police and continuing racism in America, there is another large group of people who deserve an equal amount of empathy in this day and age. They are our seniors, and their numbers are growing. Recent statistics in Canada show that the older cohort – the baby boomers and gen-Xers – represent nearly 45 percent of Canada’s population, or 16,753,198 people. By 2030, Statistics Canada estimates it will be 46.5 percent, or 19,461,400 people. The stats are somewhat similar in the U.S. In the not too distant future, one out of four Canadians will be over the age of 65. Yet, discrimination against seniors continues because of “ageism”.
In 2,011, a disturbing survey in the United Kingdom of adults who were over 18 revealed that two out of five young people aged between 18 and 24 believed that there were not enough jobs for older people to continue working. Fourteen percent felt that older people should retire to make way for young blood. Even more shocking, seven out of ten young people did not consider older relatives to be an important part of the family, while ten percent considered it a chore to go and see them. Researchers often refer to such attitudes as ageism and rightly so.
For years, North Americans have been warehousing the majority of their elderly citizens. Seniors have been ushered away from families and communities into retirement and so-called long-term care residences. Unfortunately, many of these residences were built in the early seventies when the idea was to accommodate as many residents as possible into one facility, regardless of conditions resulting in overcrowding. Today, the pandemic has illustrated how such warehousing unfortunately has often led to deaths representing more than eighty percent of COVID-19 related deaths in the general population. Politicians are now raving that the numbers are inexcusable and horrific, especially for those thousands housed in long-term care. Where were they years ago when several studies outlined ongoing problems with staff shortages, inadequate resident care and government standards, and lack of affordable accommodation and health care?
More and more seniors are being forced to continue working because of living near the poverty line and a lack of retirement savings. However, many employers continue to discriminate against the hiring of seniors for indefensible reasons, despite all the experience and skills such persons can bring to a job. This again is a form of overt ageism. Maybe it’s time that we have a real national ‘Grey Pride’ movement. Sometimes the elderly have difficulties in speaking for themselves. Maybe the time has come for all citizens to force governments to address the serious issues surrounding ageism in society. The time for lip service is long gone, the time for action is now. After all, the reality is that we have ageing populations, whether we believe it or not.
FROLITICKS 
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