"NL has the oldest, poorest, unhealthiest seniors in Canada," says Seniors' Advocate

Susan Walsh says half of all seniors here have an income below $29,710, which is the lowest median income in Canada and 44 per cent receive the Guaranteed Income Supplement, but these numbers are higher on the west coast, reaching 56 per cent.

NL has the oldest, poorest, most unhealthy seniors in Canada, and some of the lowest rates on access to needed services. The findings are even worse for rural regions, according to Seniors’ Advocate Susan Walsh. She released the Seniors’ Report 2025, titled, “Monitoring Key Indicators of Seniors’ Wellbeing in Newfoundland and Labrador.” Walsh says the report found that 88 per cent of seniors are satisfied with their lives, 84 per cent feel connected to their communities, while only 5 per cent of seniors live in assisted living, personal care homes and long term care.  89 per cent seniors continue to drive. Walsh says this is her second report on this and data highlighted the wellbeing of our seniors lags behind the Canadian average in all area. She says half of all seniors here have an income below $29,710, which is the lowest median income in Canada and 44 per cent receive the Guaranteed Income Supplement, but these numbers are higher on the west coast, reaching 56 per cent.

Walsh says 88 per cent of seniors have one chronic health condition and 45.5 per cent have three or more, yet access to a primary health care provider has continued to decrease and NL seniors’ access is the lowest of all Canadian provinces. The waitlist for hip and knee surgery increased by 199 per cent over the last 5 years, and over the last 4 years there has been a 17 per cent increase in the number of seniors medically discharged from hospital but remain there awaiting appropriate living or care arrangements. As  well, over the last 5 years, there has been a 64 per cent increase in criminal violations against seniors.