Ex-Lt.-Gov. says aging with a disability needs ‘our attention’

First, David Onley gave the Twitter version of his speech on aging well with a disability: “eat well, exercise regularly, reduce negative stress in your life, and all will be well”.

But the former Ontario lieutenant-governor certainly had more to say on Wednesday about aging well at the McMaster Innovation Park during an event by Hamilton’s Thrive Group and the McMaster Institute for Research on Aging (MIRA).

Onley, disabled with polio since age three, was one of Canada’s first newscasters with a visible disability and is an active advocate for people with disabilities. He is also an author and a University of Toronto Scarborough lecturer.

Onley said, the United Nations estimates that 15 per cent of the world’s population has one or more disabilities — and 250 million of them are older people. But when you look at who is affected by disabilities, and you include family members and caregivers, it’s 53 per cent of the world population according the UN, Onley said.

And you would be wrong to think Canada is way ahead of the world at being attentive to the needs of older and disabled people, said Onley. Just last week at the Edmonton airport, a blind man was denied service at a restaurant because he had a guide dog, Onley said, calling the incident “unbelievable.”

Wherever you are, he said “ultimately, it comes down to a simple truth: do not judge the value of a person by their disability. Equally so, do not judge the value of a person by their age.”

He pointed out the UN estimates more than 46 per cent of people 60 and older worldwide have disabilities and more than 250 million of them experience moderate to severe disability.

“The sheer numbers involved demand our attention,” he said. “As we all know ... persons with disabilities face several obstacles including attitudinal, environmental and institutional barriers preventing their full and equal participation in all aspects of life.”

It gets worse if they are older, he said, adding that “often older persons with disabilities are among the most adversely affected, facing further age barriers”.

Onley noted that the opportunities and challenges must be fully explored and understood. Programs on aging also need to consider issues in both aging and disability to meet the needs of both an aging population and older people with disabilities, he said. Aging well with a physical disability is an internationally recognized issue, he added.

MIRA managing director Laura Harrington said many older adults experience disability as they age. Onley was invited to speak because “we wanted a conversation with the community on how to address those challenges and how to enable people to age well.”