Hon. Alice Wong, P.C.

Vancouver, British Columbia, February 11, 2015

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Hello, everyone.

It’s my pleasure to be here today.

I am always impressed when I see a group like this together in one room.

It’s a visual reminder of our shared purpose and passion—helping others to live well.

To feel healthy, happy and safe.

To contribute to those around us.

And in turn, to feel the sense of belonging and security that a supportive community brings.

Unfortunately, life can put obstacles in our way.

Especially as we get older.

Social isolation is one of them.

It’s an issue that is both pervasive and difficult to resolve.

But the answer is both simple and yet complex. It comes down to a fundamental truth in life—people need people.

Over the past three years, I’ve been speaking with seniors, seniors’ organizations and other stakeholders across the country.

They have made it clear that social isolation is an issue that demands our attention. This is especially true in the context of our aging population.

Canada is facing a major demographic shift.

Right now, more people are over 60 years of age than there are children under 5. By 2050, seniors will outnumber children under 15.

Just the other day, I read a rather startling prediction. The Office of the Chief Actuary said that 5 of every 10 Canadians who are now aged 20 can expect to live until the age of 90.

Of course, this is good news. But the fact is, we’re going to have more and more seniors in Canada. And unless we take action now, the issue of social isolation will become more prevalent.

What do I mean by the social isolation of seniors?

Social isolation is commonly defined as low quantity and quality of contact with others.

Being socially isolated involves few social contacts and few social roles, as well as the absence of mutually rewarding relationships.

It can cause communities to suffer a lack of social cohesion, and suffer the loss of experience that older adults bring to our families, neighbourhoods and communities.

On an individual level, social isolation affects seniors’ economic, social, physical and mental well-being.

As everyone in this room knows, over time, older people can lose meaningful contact with their friends, family and community for a range of reasons.

For all seniors, aging is a series of transitions. Some transitions are planned, while others are not.

For anyone, senior or not, losing a spouse, a change in income, or an illness can be a major, life-changing event.

Most of us would have our hands full simply keeping up a daily routine after something like this.

It’s a somber irony that going through events like this can damage the social networks we have, even when we are most in need of their support.

Even something like losing the ability to drive can drastically change someone’s life.

If you can’t drive, walk or take a bus to go to an appointment or meet some friends, it’s easy to lose touch with your community.

Dealing with illness, or any sort of loss of independence, can cause a social disconnect.

There are clear links between health and social isolation. For seniors, being part of a social network has a positive influence.

For example, it can encourage seniors to stay physically and mentally active.

Without a social network, seniors run a higher risk of having health issues.

They’re more likely to drink and smoke, remain sedentary and eat poorly.

To add to that, the risk of hospitalization of isolated seniors is four to five times greater.

These are serious consequences. Unfortunately, it does not end there.

Apart from the physical health risks, social isolation also threatens mental wellness.

It is associated with higher levels of depression and suicide.

In fact, one in four seniors lives with a mental health problem such as depression, anxiety or dementia.[1]

Approximately half of Canadians over the age of 80 report feeling lonely. And sadly, men over 80 have one of the highest suicide rates of all age groups.[2]

Social isolation can also leave seniors vulnerable to elder abuse, including financial abuse.

As you can see, social isolation is a common denominator among a whole range of issues that affect the well-being of seniors.

It is a problem we can’t ignore.

While difficult to pinpoint, we do know that back in 2006 over 30 percent of Canada’s seniors were at risk of social isolation.

In 2008, 19 percent of Canadians aged 65 or over said they felt a lack of companionship, left out or isolated from others.

As I said before, social isolation is complex and pervasive. But it is also preventable.

That’s why we are taking coordinated action to tackle this issue head on.

We are collaborating to align the priorities of the National Seniors Council and the New Horizons for Seniors Program to work together to address the social isolation of seniors.

I am also pleased to say that the Forum of Federal, Provincial and Territorial Ministers Responsible for Seniors has chosen to explore the issue of social isolation as a priority for this upcoming year.

Last year, the National Seniors Council was asked to assess the impact of social isolation on seniors in Canada and explore ways to prevent or reduce it.

The Council consulted over 300 stakeholders, including seniors, community organizations and academics,[3] and presented a report on their key findings. If you have not yet had an opportunity to review this excellent report, together with a companion review of relevant literature on this issue, I would encourage you to do so.

The report highlighted the importance of working with those who deliver services and programs directly to seniors.

This year, I have asked the Council to continue their work on this issue and further examine barriers that prevent communities and seniors from reaching out to each other.

And I have asked them to examine ways to encourage communities to reach out to socially isolated seniors in their neighborhoods.

Friends, we want to help communities to build stronger relationships with socially isolated seniors in their midst.

And by bringing Canadian citizens, volunteers, organizations and seniors together, we will reduce the social isolation of seniors in their communities.

Along with the National Seniors Council, and the New Horizons for Seniors Program, the Forum of Federal, Provincial and Territorial Ministers Responsible for Seniors has also made social isolation one of its main priorities for this upcoming year.

This Forum brings together Ministers, Deputy Ministers and senior officials from the federal, provincial and territorial governments who are collaborating to promote the interests of Canadian seniors.

By collaborating together, we are working to find innovative solutions to address social isolation among seniors, including those living in rural and remote communities.

I look forward to sharing our progress on the Forum’s activities with you.

Next, I would like to talk about the New Horizons for Seniors Program.

The vast majority of the New Horizons for Seniors Program is devoted to community‑based grants of up to $25,000. This year we will fund more than 1,800 of these grants in communities from coast to coast to coast.

However, a much smaller portion of the New Horizons for Seniors Program is devoted to larger projects with a longer duration. These are sometimes called “pan‑Canadian” grants, and they are typically connected by a broad theme, such as elder abuse.

Last year, we did a call for proposals for pilot projects on the issue of social isolation, and we learned a great deal. We increased the upper limit of the contribution agreements, and in appropriate circumstances we allowed them to be funded into a second or third year. We also began to incorporate some of the elements of what is sometimes called “social innovation” into the process—such as fund leveraging and sustainability planning.

The results have been very good, but disconnected. What I mean by that is that each of these good projects has proceeded independently of each other. They have not had the benefit of sharing what they have learned, nor have their efforts been in any way coordinated. The result is that, while again I must stress that the pilot projects have been very good individually, their collective social impact is modest.

But that is why we run pilot projects—to learn how to improve.

And today I am pleased to announce that for the next five years, at least, the broad theme of the pan-Canadian stream of the New Horizons for Seniors Program will be focused upon reducing the social isolation of seniors in their immediate communities.

I am also pleased to announce that we will be working with the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation. The McConnell Foundation, and their Innoweave initiative, will work with the Government to bring together successful applicants in a sharing network, to measure progress against established metrics, to gather what we learn and to suggest adjustments along the way.

The McConnell Foundation and its Social Innovation Generation partners will also provide advice to the Government in the context of the selection process, with a view to curating the projects to maximize social impact.

We are very excited about this new partnership. I am hoping to see more applications for projects that show the creativity and flexibility I have mentioned.

We are hoping to see projects that take new approaches—or that take old ones and use them in new ways.

We are hoping to see projects that are challenging us to use the considerable wealth of knowledge, tools and compassion we have at our disposal so that we can do something great. And to do it in a way we haven’t tried before.

It is time to shake up our existing ideas and approaches and let some new ones in.

It is time to allow ourselves to approach issues in different ways.

And it might mean flipping some ideas on their heads to be able to see them differently.

And it absolutely means opening ourselves up to creativity, flexibility and the willingness to look for inspiration everywhere—even if it’s outside our discipline.

Steve Jobs said, “Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.”

Therefore, as leaders, innovation is more than an asset quality—it’s a requirement.

I expect many of you may be thinking that this isn’t an area where big bureaucracies excel.

And, in some ways, you’d be right.

Which is why I’m excited that our Government is playing a leading role in bringing together partners from various sectors.

Social innovation succeeds by combining resources from governments, businesses, community organizations and academics to generate new ideas and tools that address social problems in new ways.

What we are trying to do is bring together the various citizens, volunteers, organizations and governments—that are separately seeking to address this issue—and try to facilitate a more coordinated approach, with a view to increasing our collective effectiveness in tackling this complex social problem.

As Minister of State responsible for Seniors, I want to see all Canadian seniors enjoy a high quality of life. And richness of life cannot occur in solitude and isolation from one’s community. We are inherently relational. We are born into communities and we cannot live without them.

Whereas in generations past, the elderly would live together with their adult children, and enjoy their fellowship each day—this is no longer our culture. Tragically, a growing number of seniors live alone, cut off from their neighbors—despite their geographical proximity.

The fact is that the social isolation of Canada’s seniors is nothing less than a tragedy, with real consequences for our society, young and old alike.

But friends, this is a problem that can be solved. The medicine is community. The medicine is fellowship. Cups of tea, visits, walks, conversations.

On a grassroots level, in our communities, it is really a question of knowing who our neighbours are, and acting like Canadians—by taking a little time to check in on seniors living alone in our immediate communities. How to affect that outcome is our present task.

Working together, with all of the creativity and innovation that we collectively possess, I am confident that we can make progress in addressing this complex problem, and bring light and life into the lives of socially isolated seniors.

Thank you.

[1] http://www.mentalhealthcommission.ca/English/issues/seniors

[2] http://www.seniorscouncil.gc.ca/eng/research_publications/social_isolation/page05.shtml#h2.1-3.1

[3] http://www.seniorscouncil.gc.ca/eng/research_publications/social_isolation/page04.shtml

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