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MLA’s CORNER: Honouring roles of seniors in B.C.

Seniors are the backbone of our culture
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Lorne Doerkson is the Liberal MLA for the Cariboo-Chilcotin. (Black Press Media file photos)

It’s been an emotional few weeks for our province, as the passing of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II has had a profound impact, on both our institutions, and us as individuals.

I have been reflecting on the Queen’s legacy — her commitment to service, her strength, and her sense of duty to her nation. But I have also been struck by what she has demonstrated in terms of the valuable contributions that seniors make to society.

Seniors are the backbone of our culture. Their contributions have brought us to where we are today. They serve as generational and institutional memory and have learned lessons over their lives that they can in turn teach to younger generations.

Unfortunately, I have had a growing feeling that seniors have fallen off the radar of government. We saw that seniors were disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and yet there seem to have been few changes to ensure greater security for seniors in the future.

It also seems like seniors have been left out of the conversations around the affordability crisis and inflation. Seniors are often on fixed incomes and are therefore deeply impacted by rising gas, housing, and grocery prices.

Additionally, aging populations are put at greater risk by the health care crisis and doctors shortage. It is vital for seniors to have family doctors, for everything from managing chronic conditions, to prescriptions, to screening for potential health risks. But right now, thousands of seniors do not have access to family doctors and we are seeing tragic results.

And yet, there are few plans from government to solve these issues, and make sure seniors are getting the care they need. We must have plans that allow our seniors to age with dignity, in the place they feel most comfortable.

We must ensure that seniors are not an afterthought of government, but a priority. It is the least we can do to honour their decades of service to our province.

Read More: B.C. senior in serious condition finally flown out for treatment



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