Life after retirement is known as the golden years, but the province’s Seniors’ Advocate is asking “What Golden Years?” in a new report addressing serious cost-of-living challenges faced by seniors in the province.

Susan Walsh heard from some 1,400 seniors while collecting information for her report, with 32 per cent reporting that they were unable to afford food, rent, medications and medical services. Some told her that they sometimes exist on toast and tea.

That, says Walsh, is leading to poorer health outcomes and a reduced quality of life.

Among her twelve recommendations are indexing the NL Seniors’ Benefit, reviewing the maximum family net income threshold to receive the full seniors benefit, exempting seniors who receive GIS from having to pay for their required home supports, exempting households with an income of less than $29,402 from paying for their required home supports, and implementing a shared food delivery service to seniors as recommended by Food First NL.

Walsh says such a food delivery program previously existed during the pandemic.

Other recommendations including providing people 65 and older with free access to the high-dose flu vaccine.

She says the money providing the service ended when most pandemic supports did, so the accessibility of food and food banks provides a greater challenge. Even in St. John’s, where seniors who receive GIS have a free bus pass, they still physically need to be able to carry the groceries on and off the bus.