The province’s seniors’ advocate has launched a new social media campaign on the issue of so-called ageism, saying there’s a lack of data being collected in this province on the topic.
Susan Walsh says there are studies nationally and globally on ageism, which is defined as discrimination based on someone’s age.
Walsh cites a study of 57 countries by the United Nations that shows one of every two people have at least a moderate level of prejudice against others due to their age.
While that kind of data isn’t being collected here, Walsh says work by her office has shown that ageism is an issue here, and seniors want it addressed.
She says there are a couple of reasons why stats aren’t compiled in this province, noting ageism is a hard topic for seniors to discuss, with many embarrassed to say that it is happening to them, while others may not want to admit their own prejudices.
“I think it’s a hard one to measure but I’m not saying it’s impossible. I think it’s a doable piece,” she said, noting it would be valuable information to have in a province where a quarter of the population is 65 or older.
“It would be most valuable to know how much it is impacting the programs and services that government provides for seniors. That would be helpful.”
The social media campaign coincides with seniors month in June.
From now until June 14th seniors are invited to share their positive experiences with aging, and a picture, which will then be used in the campaign. That can be done online, or the form can be printed off and manually sent to the Office of the Seniors’ Advocate.
Walsh says the aim is to focus on the positive stories of what seniors are doing, rather than the negatives.