B.C. residents living longer but not prepared for health care, housing needs: study

B.C. residents are living longer but are not doing enough to prepare for long-term care and their housing needs, which are key factors to longevity, according to a new study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Most Canadians want to age in their home, but they also say they are not prepared for everyday tasks when they are in their 90s or older, such as taking out the trash or changing a lightbulb, says Joseph Coughlin, founder and director of the MIT AgeLab.

“You may be aware of the stairs, but are you thinking about how those may need to change, or how the bathroom may need to be modified? And then are you doing something about it?” he said.

Researchers from the MIT AgeLab created a Longevity Preparedness Index (LPI) that measures aging preparedness across eight indicators of longevity, including community, social connection, finance, daily activities, life transitions, health, housing, and care.

Each indicator was evaluated on a scale of zero to 100. The index suggests that Canadians are only “modestly prepared” for longer lives, scoring 60 out of 100 on the LPI.

While the report suggests many Canadians are prepared financially (66 LPI) and have community access to services and health care (75 LPI), they are not prepared for long-term care (40 LPI) and safe, accessible housing (53 LPI.)

Finance scores were highest in B.C. and Quebec, and lowest in the Prairies. B.C. had the same mark as the country overall when it comes to being prepared for care (40 LPI) and was also fairly low in health and housing preparedness (56 and 58 LPI, respectively.)

When it comes to community, B.C. had the highest marks of all provinces (77 LPI).

The findings, which were funded by Manulife, were presented Tuesday at the insurance company’s inaugural Longevity Symposium in Vancouver.

The goal, Coughlin said, is to start a conversation about what families should be talking about and prepared for as people live up to 100 or even longer.

“This is about longevity preparedness, not planning,” said Coughlin. “Planning is a grocery store list, it’s a matter of good intentions. But we all know that until that food is in your cart, on your counter, and frankly on your plate, you’re not eating.”

For the study, researchers looked at each indicator and whether it was something the respondents were aware of, whether they were giving it attention, and whether they were taking action.

Aging well depends on more than finances alone, with health, housing, care, social connection and community all playing critical roles, Coughlin said.

“We have never had this many people living this long within the social context we have today. Longevity is still a relatively new phenomenon,” he added.