The oldest old: The changing face of Canadian seniors

There was a time when living past age 85 was a rarity, a result of some tightly held secret of longevity or a testament to the outstanding quality of one’s DNA.

But the “oldest old,” as they’ve been dubbed, are the most rapidly growing segment of Canadian society, says a new report.

In 1971, just 139,000 Canadians were 85 years and older. By 2013, there were 702,000. By 2060, that number is expected to hit 2.7 million.

“They are coming,” Jacques Legare, a demographer at the Universite de Montreal and lead author of the study, tells Yahoo Canada News.

“This has never been experienced. It will be the first time in history.”

This generation of extreme seniors will result in a demographic shift in the country, he says.

Policy makers need to prepare to deal with their rapidly expanding ranks, says Legare, who presented the study recently to a group of researchers and policy makers in Ottawa.

Statistics Canada estimates there are now about six million Canadians aged 65 and over. By 2060, the federal agency predicts there will be about 12 million.

Aging Baby Boomers have been dubbed the “silver tsunami” but a single definition of seniors – those aged 65 and older – is outdated, Legare and his colleagues suggest.

Until now, few people lived into their 80s, 90s and beyond. Those over 85 are a distinct group with distinct needs, the study says.

“Reaching the age of 85 is a less and less marginal phenomenon,” says the study.

Only about 10 per cent of men and women reached age 85 in 1931, the report says. But over just the past four decades, the population has jumped 400 per cent.

The study urges the federal and provincial governments to set up a panel of researchers and policy makers to plan for the changes in ageing.

Britain, where a quarter of the population is expected to be 65 and over by 2033, already has one.

A 1999 report for the federal government said housing and income are particular challenges for seniors over 85.

At that time, 76 per cent of this oldest generation were women, most of them living alone in metro-area apartments. Those women were more likely to be dependent on government pensions.

Things have changed already.

Legare and his colleagues predict one-third of the oldest old will need care homes and supported living.

And the longevity gap between men and women is closing, because women’s lifestyles are now more similar to men’s and because men are paying more attention to their health, the Universite de Montreal report says.

“This group will grow very rapidly in the present century,” Legare says.

“First, we have to be sure we can keep them in good health. And we want to be sure that they will have the income that they need so that they don’t depend on the state. All this needs some planning.”