Story, photo on Vital Signs report degrading to seniors

Editor: The photo displayed on your Oct. 14 front page, over the headline of “Aging valley needs youth movement”was shocking in its blatant ageism.

I understand that you were reporting on the Central Okanagan Foundation Vital Signs document, but it is shameful that you, as a community newspaper, chose to tell the story that conveyed that “old” means a drain on our health system, a detriment to our economic well-being, and a general impediment to Kelowna continuing as a vital community.

In other words, “old is done” — end of story — it’s a pretty black and white take on our community to imply our older residents have no economic impact and therefore, no value to the city they live in.

There are thousands of reports that calculate the economic value of volunteering and the significant impact it has on our collective GDP.

“Older” residents of this city volunteer countless hours. They help make our hospital and hospice run. They help beginning readers learn in our schools. They deliver breakfast food to our schools so children can start their days with some optimism.

They are on boards and part of service clubs who contribute in so many ways to the well being of our city. They are in churches, on hiking trails, visiting others even older than themselves to help them stay in their homes.

There are airport ambassadors, seniors who help refugees acclimatize, choir leaders, church and Sunday school leaders, and volunteers on civic committees. Seniors are our heritage resources, to say nothing of the very considerable financial help so generously given to many individuals and organizations in need in our community.

Your choice of interpreting — and portraying —”old” in such a denigrating manner is offensive. You did have the choice of conveying the actual and positive contribution of those 65 and older by their essential and valuable contribution in our community — even by noting that their contribution was not mentioned in the report (which it might choose to include in the future). The implication of your one-sided reporting is a disservice to a really vital and essential part of our vibrant community. Sharron J. Simpson, Kelowna