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My Mother’s a senior, so how the heck
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My mother is 88 and I’m not - yet we’re both seniors, sometimes. It used to be quite simple; an older person – especially one older than yourself - was labeled as being a senior. Now, with people living longer and the baby boom generation in their middle years the ‘s’ word can be a hot button. Case in point, my mother and I have never been adolescents or middle-aged together, but now we are both seniors even though there’s a span of some thirty odd years between us. I’m a boomer, and like many in that cohort, am somewhat taken aback to know I am referred to as a senior - although that tag is helpful if you want to get into the weight room or pool at the Cowichan Centre a bit cheaper. But, it won’t get you a reduced rate on BC Ferries or the ski hills until you’re 65. You might get your Canada pension at 60 if you want to, or you might be forced into mandatory retirement at 65. So the forever young boomer generation finds themselves featured in senior focused magazines and newspaper segments along with ads which are targeted more towards their parents’ generation. Articles on kickboxing grandmas share the pages with ads featuring a variety of mobility aids and cemetery plots. A recent study conducted by the British based bank HSBC indicates that if you’re 39 or younger old age starts at 58, but if you’re 40-59 it starts eleven years later. For those 60 or older old age doesn’t come before the age of 74. In south Florida people in their 30’s are buying into retirement villages because they like the lifestyle. In Canada ‘seniorpreneur’ women [55+] make up the fastest growing self employment segment over the past 15 years cites a recent CIBC report. Dr. John Crawford, co-founder and VP of the Canadian Academy of Senior Advisors, sheds some light on age categories: 65-75 is young-old, 75-85 is old, and 85up is old-old. And, at Blackcomb Whistler if you’re 75+ you can get a great deal on a season ticket because to them you are a ‘super senior.’ It’s all a bit disconcerting. After middle age are we all heading towards a collective and long drawn out identity crisis? Well, there are creative signs of change. A recent headline described the audience at the Paul Anka concert as ‘fifty somethings’ a catchy upbeat term. But good luck to those working on a proposed Seniors’ Charter of Canada or the Premier’s Council on Aging and Seniors’ Issues as they strive to meet the needs of my boomer generation friend’s 101 year old mother-in-law as well as her own. Enise Olding is a Cowichan Valley writer and seniors consultant.
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