The Average Senior is spending approximately $4,200.00 per month for Long Term Care in Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Centres. In Canada, 58% of all people aged 65 and older are female. However, women account for 70% of the population aged 85 and over. 69% of seniors provide some form of help to the people in their lives—their spouse, children, grandchildren, friends and/or neighbours.

19% of seniors participate in formal volunteer work. Informally, about the same number also look after children at least once a week. 23% of seniors provide unpaid care to other seniors, thereby helping to reduce our health care costs.

The economic value of seniors’ volunteer services is estimated at between $764 million and $2.3 billion annually. Seniors are the largest per capita donors to charity in the Canadian population. Collectively, seniors are a powerful consumer force. Their participation in the marketplace helps contribute to the stability of many Canadian businesses, especially in the service sector.

Seniors make major contributions to our economy through the taxes they pay— income, property and sales taxes. The number of people aged 80 or over is expected to increase an additional 43% from 2001 to 2011, during which time it will surpass an estimated 1.3 million. The fastest growing occupation through 2005 will be Personal Support Workers/Personal/Home HealthCare Aides.