麻豆传媒AV

In previous letters I have asked for comments or feedback to the ramblings of this old man and other than receiving emails asking how to join SSAI I never did receive an adverse comment until March. It appears that wherever this email came from, all the seniors appear, or so the writer says, to be living in the lap of luxury. And how can you tell that you ask. By counting the number of up-to-date vehicles belonging to seniors in the parking lots of casinos in the province, or so the writer tells me.

It also appears they are all far better off now than they have ever been, and in some ways and in some places and for some seniors that is probably true. However, when you talk to seniors, as opposed to looking at statistics put out by governments, whose job it is to tell you how well off you are, the picture is not so rosy.

I have figures quoted to me from Statistics Canada and also by my critic, that the average income of a seniors 65 years of age is well over the $100,000 per annum range, but somehow, when I talk to all my senior friends, that figure sounds like some kind of utopia. There probably are seniors of 65 years of age with that income, but you have to wonder just where they all are. Certainly not too many of them here in good old Prince Albert where there is an ever growing waiting list for low cost housing and the share a meal centres. Food banks are kept busy providing to the poor, of which a good percentage are seniors.

I wish with all my heart that what my critic described to me was true, but in all conscience I know it not to be so. Far too many seniors are left counting pennies at the end of each month and wondering what will happen if the cost of food continues to rise or if there is another rent increase or the power and energy services take a hike upwards. Living on that kind of edge is not good for your health or your self esteem. My critic quoted the number of medals Canada won at the Olympic games and the pride we all felt at that time, but what that has to do with seniors and their concerns and problems I have no idea.

SSAI is continuing to focus on the concerns of its seniors' centres and will continue to press the provincial government on the issue of financial support for them. We appreciate the aim of the government in aspiring to keep seniors in their own homes and communities as long as possible, but the issue does not simply end there. A senior can deteriorate sitting in their own home just as easily as they can sitting in a long-term care home or hospital. What is necessary for everyone, especially seniors, no matter where they live, is the ability to access activities of a recreational and social nature in a safe and secure surrounding. A place where those activities are planned and carried out having in mind at all times the ages and physical abilities of the people in those programs. If 60 minutes of activity each day is good for youngsters starting their lives, then some activity time should also be necessary and beneficial to seniors who are in the evening of their lives.

SSAI is hoping this years' convention in Saskatoon in June will be well attended. As seniors we have concerns in all areas of our lives and not only with pensions, housing or personal health. We should also be aware of what is happening in the world around us and how events will affect us. All my thoughts and best wishes go out to all my Ukrainian friends and their families who right now must be extremely worried about their native land. There are times when it becomes necessary to urge our elected members of government to be more accountable in both words and deeds in dealing with those major concerns, and maybe now would be that time. Fortunately we live in the greatest country in the world, and after having travelled a fair amount across this great country we probably live in the greatest province in Canada. So, in many ways we have much to be thankful for. We cannot afford to take it all for granted.

Stay safe, keep active and try to support your local seniors' centre.