Canadians are living longer, and as a result, the elderly population is expected to balloon over the next several decades, according to Statistics Canada estimates.
With that comes further pressure on an already strained home and health-care sector, and growing concern about a rise in the number of missing-person cases involving older Canadians.
On Thursday, London police reported the disappearance of two residents, aged 86 and 91. The reason for their disappearance was not made public, and both have since been located and are safe, police said.
Although neither are among the 9.2 million people who make up Canada’s baby boomer population, the fact the generational cohort remains the largest in the country at 25 per cent raises the likelihood such missing-persons reports will become a bigger problem over time.
The head of CanAge, a national seniors’ advocacy organization, said they’re already seeing an increase in the number of elderly people getting lost in their communities.
“With our population aging rapidly, and the percentage of people who are living at home with inadequate supports and with dementia, this is an issue far more on the rise,” said CanAge CEO and founder Laura Tamblyn Watts.
“What many people don’t realize is that about 75 per cent of people with dementia will always live in the community, in their own homes…. We’re just now starting to grapple with how to ensure that people are safe in their communities.”
