Aging Population In Canada

Brilliant Essays
The life expectancy of people is increasing globally with advances in medical technology contributing to aging population worldwide. With the increment of the elderly population, the issues and challenges affecting the health and quality of life of aged people is increasing as well. In Canada, although the majority of seniors live in private households, the need for institutionalization is likely to grow for the seniors due to factors such as death of family members or friends, changing family structures, increased probability of living alone, compromised health status and retirement from the workplace. Retirement homes, residential care homes and nursing homes or long term care homes are some kinds of facilities where most of the seniors …show more content…
About fifty percent of people reporting of feeling lonely are elderly people over eighty years of age. And the highest rate of suicide is in men over the age of eighty of all age group (Government of Canada, 2014). Over 1.3 million seniors in Canada are estimated to suffer from chronic loneliness where, 30% to 40% of seniors living in institutions experience depressive disorder resulted from the loneliness (Keeping Connected, 2016). Likewise, comparing seniors living in the community and residential care facilities, low rates of diagnosed depression i.e. 1% to 5% is found in the seniors living in the community whereas 14% to 42% of seniors living in long term care facilities are diagnosed with depression. Recent study showed that 44% of the seniors were either diagnosed with depression or showed depressive symptoms in the residential care facilities (Government of Canada, 2014). Further, While working as a nurse back home and continuing study here in Canada, I have observed that institutionalization of elderly people are more prevalent in Canadian society as compared to Asian countries. Currently, my clinical placement is in long term care home where I have been observing the experiences of the elderly people more closely. I have noticed most of the residents are in the state of loneliness and depression. My paper will argue that …show more content…
Social Isolation Seniors: An Emerging Issue. Retrieved from http://www.health.gov.bc.ca/library/publications/year/2004/Social_Isolation_Among_Sen iors.pdf
Brownie, S., & Horstmanshof, L. (2011). The Management of Loneliness in Aged Care Residents: An Important Therapeutic Target for Gerontological Nursing. Geriatric Nursing. Retrieved from http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.library.yorku.ca/ehost/command/detail?sid=5876156 f-9f32-4b4f-ad16-db68c8dae34a%40sessionmgr107&vid=4&hid=128
Chiang, K., Chu, H., Chang, H., Chung, M., Chen, C., Chiou, H., & Chou, K. (2010). The Effects of Reminiscence Therapy on Psychological Well-being, Depression, and Loneliness Among the Institutionalized Aged. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. Retrieved from http://journals2.scholarsportal.info.ezproxy.library.yorku.ca/pdf/08856230/v25i0004/380 _teortoalatia.xml
Government of Canada. (2014). Report on the Social Isolation of Seniors. Retrieved from

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