Report of the National Seniors Council on Volunteering Among Seniors and Positive and Active Aging

What Participants Told Us

The following ten themes consistently emerged from the roundtable sessions:

• Positive and Active Aging
  • Perceptions of aging and seniors
  • Key characteristics promoting positive and active aging
  • Designing communities to promote positive and active aging
  • Research on positive and active aging
• Volunteering Among Seniors
  • Recruitment of volunteers
  • Support for seniors who volunteer
  • Support for organizations using volunteers
  • Building partnerships among key social players
  • Research on volunteering
  • Coordination of volunteers in the not-for-profit sector

Each of the nine roundtables was unique and participants came from a variety of backgrounds. The following two roundtables raised ideas and points of view that were not addressed at the other roundtable sessions.

Iqaluit Roundtable

The roundtable in Iqaluit was the first time the Council held a roundtable where the majority of participants were Aboriginal, living in a rural and remote area. As a result, a variety of the issues and recommendations put forward by participants were different from the other roundtables, although there were similarities on certain issues.

The discussions at the Iqaluit roundtable were reflective of participants' distinct experiences and environment. A number of the challenges to positive and active aging identified were unique, including limited access to timely health services, the high cost of living in the North and overcrowded housing. Another challenge that was raised was the high level of alcohol, drug and tobacco use in Inuit communities. Participants called for increased policing to stop the inflow of drugs and alcohol.

Language barriers, loss of Inuit traditions, culture and values as well as decreasing respect for Elders were identified as important challenges to be addressed. Participants noted the importance of educating youth on Inuit traditions and proposed establishing a joint Elder–youth panel to facilitate intergenerational communication.

Participants explained that Inuit culture does not recognize the term volunteering but rather refers to this type of behaviour as "people helping people." Participants noted that assisting one another, particularly the less fortunate, is a fundamental value in Inuit culture and is considered an important part of the fabric of the community.

National Roundtable

The issues discussed and advice provided at the national roundtable were for the most part consistent with that heard at the regional roundtables. However, the national roundtable looked at issues more broadly and from a policy perspective, in comparison to the regional roundtables, which focused more on what is happening at the local level. There were also some issues identified at the national roundtable that were not raised at the regional roundtables.

One strategy identified to support positive and active aging that was unique to the national roundtable was the participation of seniors in the workforce. Participants noted that it is important for the government to invest in programs and services to help seniors to re-enter the workforce, such as résumé writing, interview preparation and training to upgrade skills that meet the specific needs of older workers. It was also recommended that employers be engaged to ensure that they provide age-friendly work environments and services to assist older workers. The creation of new roles for older workers, such as mentoring positions that enable seniors to share their knowledge and experience with other employees, was also suggested.

The following is a description of each of the ten common themes that came out of the roundtables and the Council's suggestions for possible federal action. It should be noted that many of the challenges identified by roundtable participants fall under provincial, territorial or municipal jurisdictions. However, all of the National Seniors Council's suggestions for action fall within areas of federal jurisdiction.