The province’s Seniors’ Advocate says seniors in Newfoundland and Labrador are doing very poorly according to data collected in her latest report into the well-being of seniors.

Susan Walsh collected data in a number of key areas, including nutrition, waitlists for hip and knee replacements, the use of restraints and antipsychotics in long-term care, and the number of seniors living alone.

Walsh’s report found that the percentage of NL seniors who consume the recommended amount of fruit and vegetables is 12 percentage points lower than the national average.

She also found that the percentage of hip and knee replacement and cataract surgeries that are meeting national benchmarks are well below the national average and significantly lower than pre-pandemic levels.

The use of restraints and the potentially inappropriate use of antipsychotics in long-term care continues to be well above the national average.

The report also found that 12.9 per cent of senior homeowners who are living alone, and 31.6 per cent of senior renters who are living alone are in core housing need and cannot afford suitable and adequate housing in their community.

Most alarmingly, crimes against seniors has increased from 3 violations per 1000 seniors in 2019 to 4.4 per 1000 seniors in 2023.

Walsh says seniors in this province are not doing well compared to national stats.

“We now have the data that clearly supports on these six indicators, that in every situation seniors were falling behind the rest of the country.”