Home in the County

My good friend John is having a tough go of it lately. His blood is letting him down—stealing his strength and energy. His wife’s health is fragile too. Their tidy bungalow is becoming too much for them to manage on their own. They tried to make do for a while with some help from friends, family and neighbours—but over time it became clear they would have to move. But where? There are few choices in Prince Edward County.

They now need some assistance in daily lives but they don’t wish to give up their independence. It rankles them a bit to have to rely on others. But John knows it is has become necessary and is effusively grateful for the help he receives. He tries his best not to let his frustration with his diminished capabilities pierce his cheerful demeanour. Yet it gets harder each day. After a lifetime of building a successful career and raising a family it is painful to admit that you need a hand.

We are all on the same path—John is just a few steps further along. Ours is a greying community in a greying province. And getting greyer every day.

In Ontario the number of people aged 75 and over is projected to rise from 887,000 in 2011 to over 2.2 million by 2036, according to Statistics Canada. The age group 90 and over will more than triple in size, from 88,000 to 286,000.

Within this aging province Prince Edward County is older still. Indeed more than half the population was born more than 50 years ago.

The pace of the greying of our commuity is also accelerating. Between 2001 and 2011 the median age in the County rose from 41 to 51—that’s a huge demographic leap in just a decade.

Contrary to the bold predictions at the beginning of the millennium, the County didn’t grow— it is just getting older. This has important policy implications in a variety of areas, many of which we are ill-prepared to manage. Not the least of which is: where will we live?

Prince Edward County doesn’t offer enough assisted living choices. John and his wife were lucky. They’ve found a good situation at a small retirement home nearby. It offers them the right balance of attention and independence. They are looking forward to moving in.

Most aren’t so lucky. Many come to the County with dreams of a lakeside retirement amid the culture, history, fine wine and food on offer in this community. Or they have lived here all their lives. But then one gets sick.

Once they begin looking, they realize there are few housing options available in the County. They can live at home or move to a nursing home—if a bed is available. The choices are disappointing— increasing isolation, or dependence on strangers for everything. There are few inbetween alternatives. Faced with these dismal prospects many leave the County—retreating to communities with a fuller array of living options.

The muncipality’s Aging-in-Place concept was produced to begin to change this outcome. Rather than sit by and watch events and demographics wash over the County, Mayor Peter Mertens and his senior staff proactively set about developing a rough blueprint for the development of about 24 acres around McFarland Memorial Home. In June they presented their ideas to a room of investors, builders, community stakeholders, hospital officials and residents.

The plan imagines a new, richer array of health care facilities, a variety of seniors’ housing and living options, as well as a range of recreation and social features.

The intent was to attract investment and to demonstrate to provincial health care funders that this community is serious in its desire to care for its elders as close to home as possible.

The plan is working. A developer and established operator of seniors’ retirement homes across Ontario has found a mostly welcoming community in Prince Edward County.

After meeting resistance to their first-choice location the developer has radically altered its plans to suit the wishes of the residents of McFarland and the broader needs of this community.

They see an opportunity here. A place they can grow and build. They have the resources and the expertise as well as a track record of developing an array of living options for seniors.

Some worry that the community is moving too fast, too soon. It is a reasonable worry. And the municipality must be prudent and cautious as it rolls out this strategy.

Yet these worries must be balanced against the desperate need for a variety of housing choices that is required right now—and demographic trends that show this need will only increase.

Mertens and council have shown they are listening, and responding, to the concerns of nearby residents. They must also pay heed to those who are becoming more desperate in their homes—with few good choices available to them.

rick@wellingtontimes.ca