Most Albertans value senior’s contributions

Poll shows majority agree they need more support and services from communities

A new poll shows most Albertans believe senior citizens make valuable contributions to the community, but also think society isn’t doing enough to meet seniors’ needs.

Only 35 per cent of Albertans say the needs of those over 65 years of age are met, says the Mainstreet-Postmedia poll.

Interestingly, “younger respondents are more likely than older respondents to say their communities are not doing enough for seniors,” said Quito Maggi, president of Mainstreet Research.

While 38 per cent of Calgarians believe their community is meeting seniors’ needs, that number is 32 per cent in Edmonton.

As Canada’s population ages, it becomes increasingly important to examine how society accommodates older adults, said Mark Kolesar, president of Calgary Seniors’ Resource Society.

“Seniors are a valuable — and often underutilized — segment of our community,” Kolesar said.

“As we get older, we all still have a tremendous capacity to contribute our time, knowledge, experience, energy and skills to make our community, and the lives of others, richer,” he said. “And in so doing, we can enrich our own lives.”

The poll shows 84 per cent of Albertans believe seniors’ contributions to the community are important, with 60 per cent of respondents rating those contributions as “very valuable.”

However, when seniors’ economic contributions were rated, that number was slightly lower; 47 per cent of Albertans rated those economic contributions as “very valuable” and another 35 per cent rated them as “somewhat valuable.”

The ability and potential of seniors to generate positive economic momentum is significant, said Steve Allan, chair of Calgary Economic Development and an organizer of a new Calgary initiative that will recognize contributions of people over 70 years old.

The Top 7 Over 70, which began taking nominations last week, will celebrate the achievements of ventures started by those who are 70-plus.

The project will also help fund new multi-generational mentorship programs, which will benefit startup companies, Allan said.

When it comes to how seniors view their contributions to the community, 56 per cent believe they are contributing the right amount to society, according to the poll. However, a significant number (38 per cent) aren’t sure if those contributions are appreciated.

Seniors can, at times, fail to recognize the many skills and value they bring to a community, said Kolesar.

“A lot of seniors don’t realize what they have to offer, so they don’t get involved, perhaps because they don’t think they will be valued,” he said. “Seniors can, and do, make contributions to all kinds of enterprises and we should remember to engage them.... As our population ages, many of us can continue to contribute to the vitality, economic growth and wellbeing” of our communities.

Provincial results of this poll, conducted last month, have a margin of error of 1.89 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.