Canadian Seniors: The Give Back Generation

Growing up my grandparents had a huge roll in my upbringing. Frankly the reason I am sitting here at my desk is because my grandparents sponsored us to immigrate to Canada, as they did with most of our extended family.

Through my childhood my grandparents continued to play a huge role in my upbringing. I was blessed to live in the same building as they did and so most of my days included visits to their home.

My husband and I were both blessed with having our grandparents around so we understand the importance of seniors in our lives.

Canadian Seniors: The Give Back Generation

I know from personal experience that seniors are a vital part of life. Even in my adult life I rely heavily on the seniors around me. That is because seniors are the “Give Back Generation”.

In our neighbourhood most of the owners are seniors. They spend their days taking care of the properties, walking their dogs and raising grandchildren.

My semi-retired neighbour helps us every single week by mowing our lawn in the front. When his wife is weeding her garden in the front she does ours as well. When they buy too many flowers they plant the abundance in ours. When their garden is ripe they often send over baskets of fresh vegetables so that we can enjoy.

I know we are not the only ones who benefit from great neighbours because 26% of seniors report helping a younger friend or family member daily and 52% have reported doing so in the past week. The issue with these stats is that only 26% of millennials and sandwich generation members report receiving the help.

The amount of kids in our neighbourhood is only because the grandparents have taken an active role in watching them every weekend and during the summer. That’s no surprise because 49% of Canadian seniors have reported helping with child care support to younger friend or family member in the past 6 months with only 30% of Canadiens who report receiving the support.

Who here has gotten a helping hand from a senior in their life? I know we have. Often. They help younger Canadians with money for groceries (31%)), school (21%), rent/home purchases (21%), and even vehicles/transportation (17%). In Canada, 76% of seniors have helped their younger friends and family members but only 44% acknowledge receiving the help. That’s a big discrepancy in numbers.

Seeing the Value of Canadian Seniors

There is a reason why some cultures treat seniors with the utmost respect, it’s because they know that they are filled with so much wisdom. Why is it so hard for us, as Canadians, to see the value of our own seniors?

Most young Canadians view seniors as a burden from society but as they age, and get wiser, they do seem to come around and see the value.

Even when they are supposed to be retired, a fairly large percentage (34%) still work. An even larger percentage (78%) spend their days volunteering at worthy causes. I know that when I was volunteering at my local hospital as an administrative assistant to Volunteer Services, seniors were the backbone of the department. As much as the staff is important to diagnose and treat, the seniors were the ones who provided hours in the stores, visitations, and knitting goodies for the babies.

Seniors Giving Back

To read more about how seniors are giving back to society head over to the EverythingZoomer.com and give it a read. You may be surprised at all of the amazing things that are going on with that generation. You can also vote for one of the four finalists in a special Love Every Age contest here.

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Aneta Alaei

Aneta is a Toronto-based mom of four that loves a good meal, great company, and learning something new. In her free time, you can find her trying to keep yet another plant alive.

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