Helping lower income older people in our communities

According to Statistics Canada, almost 600,000 older people across the country are living in poverty and struggling with income insecurity. Poverty amongst older people is both a social and a fiscal concern that will be exacerbated as higher percentages of Canadians move into the '65 years of age and older' demographic. In particular, poverty rates among older people tend to be highest among women, especially for widows over 75 years of age - largely due to pension allowances that have traditionally been linked to employment history.

Although there are federal and provincial benefits available to people in Canada over the age of 65, many older people still struggle with income insecurity, especially in cities where the average cost of living, especially housing costs, have grown exponentially over the years as the population in the city increases.

Income security and addressing inequalities faced by older women, as well as other marginalized groups are two of the sub-themes of the 14th Global Conference on Ageing, which will be taking place in Toronto, Canada from 8-10 August 2018. The International Federation on Ageing's Expert Centre also has several experts who can speak on the growing concern of income insecurity amongst older people - please click on one of the icons above to arrange an interview, or visit ifa2018.com to learn how the 14th Global Conference on Ageing will be addressing the sub-themes that promote income security for all older people.

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