By Charles Lefebvre

Cypress View Foundation hoping for meeting to address senior population growth

May 27, 2019 | 4:46 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB — A local organization that runs a seniors home for low-income residents says they’re making plans to try and address the expected growth of the senior population in the province.

The Cypress View Foundation, which includes representatives from Medicine Hat city council, Cypress County council, and Redcliff town council, have been making presentations to their respective councils through the month, sharing information about the foundation and the trend of an aging population.

The foundation runs a facility in northwest Medicine Hat, which included both independent and assisted living. The facility is primarily geared towards low and middle income residents.

According to a 2004 study from L’Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal, the population of seniors in Alberta is expected to reach approximately 700,000 by 2026.

The Province of Alberta is also projecting the senior population aged 65 and older to hit 1.1 million by 2040, and by 2046, one in five Albertans will be aged 65 and older, according to a report released last year.

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Councillor Julie Friesen, who sits on the board of the Cypress View Foundation, says its a trend that everyone in the province needs to be aware of.

“You want to be poised and be ready to the future, so we know that our older adults will be enjoying the quality of life they deserve in their senior years,” she said.

Friesen adds Alberta Health Services and the provincial government will need to be involved in the discussions, which includes whether there is enough beds for seniors and what kind of facilities are needed.

According to a recent presentation made to Medicine Hat City Council, the Cypress View Foundation’s facility in Medicine Hat also saw its vacancy rate fall to six per cent in 2018, down from 16 per cent in 2016.

The 2004 study also states that the number seniors aged 80 and over will significantly increase, resulting in different care needs.

Friesen says the foundation wants discussions to take place between the city, Redcliff, Cypress County and the provincial government to ensure they’re not caught off-guard when it happens.

“There’s a dynamic tension as there is with any capital build out,” she said. “It’s a big outlay of capital. Do you need it? What is the point when you need it? What’s too soon, and what’s too late? “I think we need to collaborate a little more strongly than we have in the past, and talk about it as a community, as a regional community.”