Elderly Care in Canada Bewildering

Mar 31, 2008 04:30 AM
Craig Kielburger
Marc Kielburger Special to the Star


His answer was not the kind we were expecting.
Sitting at a café on a bustling street in downtown Cairo, we ask our local guide Mohammed Abdel Rehim what he perceives to be the biggest difference between Egypt and Canada. Surprisingly, neither history nor politics make up any part of his response.
"The largest difference," he says, as he sips a cup of tea, "is how you treat old people."
Rehim explains that, in Egyptian culture, seniors are among the most valued members of society. They are universally admired for a lifetime's worth of wisdom and experience and are expected to pass on that knowledge. Children kiss their grandparents' hand when greeting them as a sign of respect.
That is why Rehim says he cannot understand the North American concept of old age, where the contributions of the elderly are expected to dwindle slowly, sometimes culminating in children putting aging parents in a nursing home.



A 2007 Statistics Canada report found that seniors today have carved out a role for themselves that is far more engaged than any they have had before.
"They are better educated, they are Internet savvy and they are active," the report said.



The role of the aging is especially relevant in Canada these days, as baby boomers approach retirement. There are now more than four million seniors in Canada, a number that's to double by 2025.
With seniors eventually making up one-fifth of our population in Canada, Rehim's words seem almost prophetic. He wonders why Canadians don't make a greater effort not just to live side by side with their elders, but to seek out the wisdom of a fully lived life.



Abridged

SOURCE: theStar



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