Thank you very much. Thank you for the opportunity to speak to you today on what we think is certainly a very important concern for older adults.
I'm here today speaking on behalf of the Active Living Coalition for Older Adults, also known as ALCOA. We have nothing to do with the aluminum company; there's some confusion over that one.
We are a national charitable organization. We were incorporated in 1999. We strive to promote a society in which all older Canadians are leading active lifestyles that contribute to their overall well-being. Our statistics show that approximately 60% of older Canadians are inactive. These inactive older adults are unable to realize the health benefits of active living.
ALCOA is in partnership with its member organizations that include 24 national organizations and 35 local or provincial organizations. Within each of their mandates they support and promote the importance of staying physically active. We encourage older Canadians to maintain and enhance their well-being and independence through a lifestyle that embraces physical activity and active living—hence the name Active Living Coalition.
We have several goals, but some of the goals that apply to this particular session relate to increasing public awareness of the benefits of active healthy living; supporting and encouraging older adults to embrace an active lifestyle by providing resources and social supports; and identifying, supporting, and sharing research priorities.
The membership of ALCOA is very strong from the research perspective. All of the resources and documents we produce are based on the current research and evidence of the day. This discussion today, as Joy Smith was saying, is so vital. As you may know, the statistics show that by 2016—less than five years from now—the number of individuals over the age of 65 will outnumber those under the age of 15. This has never happened before in the demographics in Canada.
We know that the population is aging. With this significant shift in the increase in the demographics of older adults, it is also essential that we shift our thinking to prevention. That's not to say that youth are not equally important and worth our time and energy, but the sheer volume of Canadians in this age group definitely demands significant attention.
All of ALCOA's research is based on the evidence of today. We have created several resources for both older adults and practitioners that relate to a variety of chronic diseases. I have included some of the documents we have produced in the package you have with you.
Many times I do presentations, and when I speak with older adults about chronic diseases I talk about them as the good-news and bad-news story. It's both good news and bad news, because the research shows that for many people, many of these chronic diseases are lifestyle diseases. The bad news is that people have acquired these lifestyle diseases because of the choices they have made. For whatever reason, they've made those choices, whether it's through lack of physical activity, food choices, or choosing to smoke. That's the bad news. The good news is that because these are lifestyle diseases, these and other diseases can be prevented or better managed if the older adult adopts a healthier lifestyle.
Specifically, these diseases include diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and strokes. The research reviews also show us that physical activity can help prevent the onset of or better manage diseases such as Alzheimer's, osteoporosis, and arthritis.
We all talk about this magic pill. The magic pill we need to take to stay healthy is simply to adopt an active healthy lifestyle. Obviously this is a lot easier said than done, based on the statistics of older adults living with chronic diseases. In a recent survey done by the Victorian Order of Nurses, VON—they provide in-home care to elderly people across Canada—their report shows that their clientele have an average of not one, but 3.5 chronic diseases each. So they're not just dealing with diabetes; they may be dealing with hypertension, arthritis, and Alzheimer's--quite a plateful of issues.
ALCOA, along with many other research organizations, have conducted research to better understand the barriers for older adults to adopt a healthier lifestyle. What we have found, unfortunately, over ten years is that the barriers do not appear to have changed. These may or may not be new to you, but some of the barriers include things such as accessibility: the issue of transportation and being able to get to a class, the times that exercise classes might be offered. Is it safe for them to even get to a class or a community centre?
There is the fear of the program and whether they are going to hurt themselves. They are very afraid of falling or taking a class that is inappropriate for their level of ability. Is it suitable for them?
Cost is an issue, whether it's the transportation cost to get there or simply being able to afford to pay for the class. Another barrier is psycho-social support. This has to do with motivation and social interaction. This is very important because of all those other tangible barriers to accessibility. So if transportation, cost, and safety are removed from the equation, if an individual is not motivated to adopt a healthy lifestyle, removal of the barriers is really irrelevant because they won't want to go anyway.
Another key factor that really needs to be addressed first and foremost when we are considering prevention and management of chronic disease is the issue of mental health. From what the research shows, if you do not address mental health as the first concern, there is no need to address the other chronic diseases, because an individual with mental health concerns is not going to have very much interest in their other health concerns. So we need to look at mental health as the first and foremost issue when dealing with either prevention or management of chronic diseases.
In September 2006 a paper was produced for the federal, provincial, and territorial committee of officials for seniors, and it was called “Healthy Aging in Canada: A New Vision, A Vital Investment”. I want to take just a moment to read two paragraphs from this very large document, which I think are critical to our discussion.
Today, older Canadians are living longer and with fewer disabilities than the generations before them. At the same time, the majority of seniors have at least one chronic disease or condition. Our health care system primarily focuses on cure rather than health promotion and disease prevention. Redirecting attention to the latter is required in order to enable older people to maintain optimal health and quality of life. The evidence is clear. Older adults can live longer, healthier lives by staying socially connected, increasing their levels of physical activity, eating in a healthy way, taking steps to minimize their risks for falls and refraining from smoking. But there are real environmental, systemic and social barriers to adopting these healthy behaviours. Some relate to inequities as a result of gender, culture, ability, income, geography, ageism and living situations. These barriers and inequities need to be and can be addressed now. Through a combination of political will, public support and personal effort, healthy aging with dignity and vitality is within reach of all Canadians.
The document then goes on to discuss how we can achieve this new vision for healthy aging in Canada by addressing supportive environments, mutual aid, and self-care. It's one very important document that is reinforcing the need for older adults to remain physically active.
In addition to this report, more recently at the 66th session of the United Nations General Assembly, a resolution from the high-level meeting of the General Assembly on the prevention and control of communicable diseases was introduced and adopted on September 16, 2011. So it's really hot off the press a month ago. What is of significance to note is that physical-activity-related solutions are prominent throughout the UN resolution. Out of a very lengthy document, I've taken just a few statements to highlight this point.
They acknowledge the global burden and threat of non-communicable diseases and that it constitutes a major challenge. There is a profound concern that non-communicable diseases are among the leading cause of preventable morbidity and of related disability. We must reduce the risk factors and create health promotion environments. We must engage all sectors of society to generate effective responses for the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases. We must strengthen the capacity of individuals to make healthier choices. And most importantly, prevention must be the cornerstone of the global response to non-communicable diseases.
To inform and educate older adults is the first step to prevention and better management of chronic diseases. Addressing the determinants of health is also critical to develop policies that will provide equitable--