The Office of the Seniors’ Advocate, Newfoundland and Labrador releases the Seniors’ Report 2024, Monitoring Key Indicators of Seniors’ Wellbeing in Newfoundland and Labrador: A Baseline Report.

December 10, 2024

Seniors’ Advocate, Susan Walsh, today released Seniors’ Report 2024, Monitoring Key Indicators of Seniors’ Wellbeing in Newfoundland and Labrador: A Baseline Report. The report provides information and data pertaining to seniors in the areas of Wellbeing, Health Care, Finances, Housing, Transportation, and Safety and Protection.

Monitoring this information is critically important to support seniors’ wellbeing and ensure that appropriate and adequate services are available to meet their needs. The report highlights that Newfoundland and Labrador’s population of adults 65 years of age and over has grown by 20.3 per cent over the past five years and now comprises 24.4 per cent of the provincial population. By 2033 seniors will comprise 29 per cent of the total population of the province.

Some of the key findings about Newfoundland and Labrador seniors in the report include:

• The percentage of seniors who consume the recommended amount of fruit and vegetables is 12 percentage points lower than the national average.
• The percentage of hip and knee replacement and cataract surgeries meeting national benchmarks, are well below the national average and significantly below pre-pandemic rates.
• Restraint use and the potentially inappropriate use of antipsychotics in long term care continues to be well above the national average.
• Seniors have the lowest median income and the largest uptake of Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) in Canada.
• 9 per cent of senior homeowners living alone, and 31.6 per cent of renters living alone, are in core housing need; they cannot afford suitable and adequate housing in their community.
• 82 per cent of seniors hold a valid driver’s license, but the cost of operating a vehicle has increased — gasoline up 26 per cent and insurance up 15 per cent, since 2018.
• Crimes against seniors has increased from 3 violations per 1000 seniors (2019) to 4.4 per 1000 seniors (2023).

Taken together, the findings in this report are concerning as they confirm that seniors continue to struggle in many of the social determinants of health. It is the intent of the Office of the Seniors’ Advocate to produce this report annually to determine if the wellbeing of seniors in this province is improving or worsening.

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“This report clearly outlines there is much work to be done to improve the wellbeing of seniors in Newfoundland and Labrador.  It provides a baseline from which we will measure how seniors are doing in the years to come and evidence to advocate for what they need.”
Susan Walsh
Seniors’ Advocate NL

The Report and Data Tables Can Be Accessed at:
www.seniorsadvocatenl.ca/pdfs/SeniorsReport2024.pdf
www.seniorsadvocatenl.ca/pdfs/SeniorsReport2024_Data.pdf

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Media contact
Arlene Mullins
Office of the Seniors’ Advocate
709- 729-6603, 1-833-729-6603 (toll-free)
seniorsadvocate@seniorsadvocatenl.ca
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