Aging and Living Together At Home, in One’s Community, in Québec Courtesy version – The offcial version (in French) is available at www.mfa.gouv.qc.ca WRITING Ministère de la Famille et des Aînés Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux COORDINATION Ministère de la Famille et des Aînés EDITING Ministère de la Famille et des Aînés GRAPHIC DESIGN AND PAGE LAYOUT Ose Design Message from the Premier All industrialized countries are feeling the effects of population aging, and Québec is no exception. In fact, the pace at which Québec’s population is aging is second only to that of Japan. People aged 65 and over accounted for 15.7% of Québec’s population in 2011; by 2013, they will account for 25.6%. Over the past several years, the Québec government has taken concrete steps to take this situation into account. A series of measures have been gradually implemented to more adequately address the needs of older adults and foster active aging. These measures have paved the way for a coherent and integrated vision of government action in favour of Québec seniors – the Aging and Living Together Policy that I announced in February 2011. This policy, which is Québec’s first policy on aging, is a product of concerted action by several government departments and agencies. It aims to create the best conditions possible for seniors to continue living in their home environment and to contribute fully to the economic, social and cultural development of Québec. Moreover, it confirms our support for all of our partners so that we can continue working together to adapt our living environments to population aging. We hope that this ambitious policy will change people’s perception of aging so that they will see it as an asset for developing an ever more inclusive society – a society for all ages. Aging and Living Together means living in a Québec that is attuned to the needs of its seniors, a Québec that focuses on all of its citizens, young and old alike. Jean Charest Premier Minister responsible for Youth Issues Message from the Minister responsible for Seniors Since my appointment as Minister responsible for Seniors, I have worked on setting the guidelines for this policy, which is the reflection of a new reality: people are living and remaining in good health longer than ever before. Aging is just one more stage of life and we must learn to take full advantage of it. During the public consultation on the living conditions of Québec seniors, held in 2007, older adults expressed a keen desire to remain active and feel “at home” in their living environment, regardless of the type of setting in which they lived. Therefore, we have focused our efforts on better addressing seniors’ needs. We have implemented various measures to provide older adults with a living environment where they can thrive and to encourage them to actively participate in society. We can be proud of the progress made thus far. With the Aging and Living Together Policy, we have taken a new and decisive step toward improving the living conditions of seniors. Aging and Living Together is a caring policy that is aligned with the concerns of the elderly and aimed at improving their day-to-day lives. It recognizes their unique contribution to the development of our society. With their invaluable store of knowledge, know-how and experience, seniors have much to share with other generations. This policy also recognizes that aging is a part of the continuum of life and that people’s lives become richer with each passing year. Aging and Living Together means aging and living in a Québec that welcomes everyone, be they young or not so young. Aging is not a monolithic process. Indeed, seniors age in a multitude of ways based on the wealth of experience they have acquired over the years. This policy is aimed at implementing a grand social project and I invite you all to participate. Marguerite Blais Minister responsible for Seniors Message from the Minister for Social Services The past few decades have been marked by a definite improvement in people’s living conditions thanks to efforts by individuals and society as a whole. However, although the extension of people’s life expectancy is a major success in which we can all rejoice, it poses major challenges for the health and social services system and for social and economic stakeholders as a whole. To support seniors who wish to remain active and to live at home within in their community for as long as possible, we must mobilize partners from every network, including municipalities, community organizations and private organizations. We must also develop a common vision, coordinate our respective actions and make a concerted effort to enable older adults to continue living at home. The actions to be taken under the Aging and Living Together Policy include measures to promote the health of seniors, prevent them from losing autonomy and appropriately address their desire to remain in their home environment, particularly by increasing home-support services and facilitating access to social services and healthcare. These measures will have to be adapted because seniors are not a homogeneous group. They have diverse needs and require different types and levels of services. They also require services from a range of service providers working for many different organizations. Moreover, the portrait of aging in Québec varies depending on whether seniors live in rural, semi-urban, urban or suburban settings. The actions taken under the policy must take these different situations into account. Seniors have contributed to the development of all regions of Québec. It is our responsibility to help them live wherever they want for as long as possible. The Aging and Living Together Policy is meant to achieve this. Dominique Vien Minister for Social Services Table of contents SECTION I The policy INTRODUCTION 14 1. MAIN OBSERVATIONS 17 1.1 Accelerated aging of the population 17 1.2 Age-related perceptions 18 1.3 The diversity of seniors and the areas where they live 20 1.4 Seniors’ health 21 1.4.1 State of health 21 1.4.2 Services of the health and social services network 25 1.5 Caregivers 27 1.6 Participation of seniors in society 29 1.6.1 Participation in the community 29 1.6.2 Prolonging one’s profesional life 30 1.7 The financial situation of seniors in Québec 31 1.8 Senior’s housing and living environments 32 1.9 Seniors’ safety 34 1.9.1 Safe public spaces 34 1.9.2 Safe trust relationships 35 1.10 Information and communication 35 1.11 Transportation and seniors’ mobility 36 2. THE UNDERPINNINGS OF THE POLICY 38 2.1 The theoretical bases of the policy and its action plan 38 2.2 The vision 40 3. THE APROACH 42 FIRST COMPONENT: Intersectoral participation 43 SECOND COMPONENT: Community development 4 SECTION II The 2012-2017 Action Plan 1. A POLICY AND AN ACTION PLAN 49 2. A COLLABORATIVE PROCESS 51 3. A PLAN FOR TAKING ACTION 53 4. GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR TAKING ACTION 5 5. LEVERS FOR TAKING ACTION 57 6. CONCERTED ACTION AND FOLLOW-UP 63 DIRECTION 1 AGING AND LIVING TOGETHER MEANS PARTICIPATING IN ONE’S COMMUNITY 6 STRATEGIC CHOICES 1.1 Recognize and support seniors’ involvement in their community 68 1.2 Support the participation of experienced workers in the workplace 78 1.3 Promote the understanding, use and contribution of information and communications technologies 84 DIRECTION 2 AGING AND LIVING TOGETHER MEANS LEADING A HEALTHY LIFE IN ONE’S COMMUNITY 89 STRATEGIC CHOICES 2.1 Promote the health of seniors, prevent them from losing autonomy and improve their quality of life 91 2.2 Increase service supply and access and improve stakeholder collaboration so as to better support seniors and their loved ones at home and in the community 103 2.3 Adapt practices, services and intervention strategies to the neds of seniors 121 DIRECTION 3 AGING AND LIVING TOGETHER MEANS CREATING HEALTHY, SAFE AND WELCOMING ENVIRONMENTS WITHIN ONE’S COMMUNITY 127 STRATEGIC CHOICES 3.1 Counter elder abuse 129 3.2 Assist vulnerable seniors to facilitate their access to services 135 3.3 Help and support caregivers 139 3.4 Support communities in adapting to an aging population 146 3.5 Develop adaptable, barrier-free, affordable and safe housing for current and future elderly populations 154 3.6 Ensure mobility for seniors 171 7. RESEARCH AND KNOWLEDGE DEVELOPMENT 179 8. EVALUATION 186 CONCLUSION 187 SUMMARY TABLE of the directions, strategic choices and actions of the 2012-2017 Action Plan of the policy Aging and Living Together, at Home, in One’s Community, in Québec 190 APENDICES 198 REFERENCES 209 Aging and Living Together THE POLICY Aging and Living Together At Home, in One’s Community, in Québec THE POLICY “We all have the same age… 1 just not at the same time!” Comment by a senior from Saguenay (2008) “What seniors want is to live happily in their own home, 2 in their community.” Comment by a senior from Saint-Jérôme (2008)