Federal politicians seek seniors' vote, but are they missing the target?
Seniors represent 15% of Canadian population and they tend to vote
Senior citizens are a target audience in this federal election — they represent 15 per cent of all Canadians and they tend to vote.
The estimated general turnout in the last federal election was slightly more than 61 per cent, but three of four voters between the ages of 65 and 74 voted in 2011. This was the highest rate of participation among seven demographic subgroups that Elections Canada analyzed last election.
By the time all of the baby boomers have reached 65, they will make up an estimated 25 per cent of the population.
The federal party leaders are trying to woo them with election promises, but is the message getting through?
The CBC's Karen Pauls visited St. Basil's Ukrainian Catholic Church in Winnipeg to find out. The basement was filled with seniors making 625 dozen perogies for a fundraising dinner.
Just a few blocks away, a group of men called MenSheds Manitoba was meeting at the Woodhaven Community Club for some conversation and wood carving.
As part of the group's emphasis on healthy living, they asked student nurses from Red River College to come and do blood pressure tests on them.
Here's Doug Mackie talking about what he'd like to see addressed in this federal election, and why he's still an undecided voter.
A recent survey for the Canadian Medical Association found fewer than one in four Canadians believe there will be adequate home care and long-term care facilities.
Just one in three think there will be enough hospital beds to meet their basic medical needs as they age.
Meanwhile, three out of five people don't feel they're in a good position financially to care for aging family members in need of long-term care.
There were similar results in a survey done for the Canadian Alliance for Long Term Care, CEO Candace Chartier said.
"There's a really growing concern around the high incidence of dementia and not having a national dementia strategy in place to deal with what's coming down the road."
"If we're already dealing with inequities across Canada in the different provinces and we already don't have access to healthcare now, it's only going to get worse. Our population is aging and those supports need to be in place before it gets to the point people won't have the place to go to receive the right care in the right time and place," Chartier said.
In both polls, voters said they want the federal government to take a leadership role on seniors' care in conjunction with the provinces.
All three federal party leaders have made election announcements of interest to seniors.