Seniors reported good health despite increased risk of some health conditions

A survey conducted in 2004 indicates that approximately 78% of Alberta seniors reported that they enjoyed excellent, very good, or good health.²⁸

According to Statistics Canada's Canadian Community Health Survey, 2009:

• More than forty percent of Alberta seniors reported their perceived health as either very good or excellent (40.7%). When it came to mental health, 65.2% reported their perceived health as either very good or excellent. These were both lower than the general population with close to three quarters of Albertans identifying their mental health as very good or excellent (73.8%) and 61.4% stating their general health was very good or excellent.
• Smoking and drinking were less common among seniors. One tenth of seniors (10.1%) considered themselves daily or occasional smokers, compared to 23.3% of the total provincial population. In 2009, 3.2%²⁹ of seniors rated themselves as heavy drinkers, compared to 18.2% of Albertans (over 12 years). Heavy drinking is defined as five or more drinks on one occasion, at least once a month in the past year.
• Four out of ten (40.2%) Alberta seniors reported being either physically active or moderately active. However, almost sixty percent of seniors (58.7%) reported they were overweight or obese, with 18.9% reporting they were obese. More senior men (65%) reported they were overweight or obese compared to senior women (50.1%).
• Less than half of seniors (44.7%) reported eating five or more servings of fruits and vegetables each day. This was similar to rates reported by the total population. Senior men were less likely to report adequate fruit and vegetable intake, with 38.3% reporting five or more servings a day, compared to 50.1% of senior women.
• Conversely, Alberta seniors reported much lower levels of stress compared to the total population. When asked if they perceive quite a lot of stress in their lives, only 10.3% of Alberta seniors agreed, compared to 22.5% of the general population.
• The majority of seniors (70.1%) reported a strong or very strong sense of belonging to the local community. This was slightly higher than the general population at 65.2%.

According to Statistics Canada's Canadian Community Health Survey — Healthy Aging,2008-2009:

• Over ninety percent of Alberta seniors reported having at least one chronic condition³⁰ .
• One in five (20.6%) seniors aged 65 to 84 years old reported having experienced a fall that limited some of their normal activities. This increased to one quarter for seniors aged 85 years and older.
• For Alberta's oldest seniors, aged 85 years and older, over one quarter (26%) reported having osteoporosis and close to one third (29.7%) stated they had cataracts.

Seniors report higher levels of disability

In 2006, 47.0% of Alberta seniors reported they had a disability, that is, their everyday activities were limited because of a health-related condition or problem. In comparison, only 11.3% of 15 to 64 year old Albertans reported that they had a disability.

Of the seniors who reported a disability, 35.9% reported that their disability was severe or very severe. For seniors who reported a disability, it most commonly affected their mobility (73.3%), agility (68.7%), pain (62.1%) and hearing (43.5%).³¹

Seniors more likely to receive care for long-term health condition

According to Statistics Canada's 2007 General Social Survey, seniors aged 65 years and older were more likely than non-seniors to be receiving care for a long-term health condition or physical limitation. In Alberta, 53.7% of those receiving care were aged 65 years and older.

Older seniors were even more likely to be receiving care. Of all those receiving care 14.3% were aged 75 to 84 years and 31.0% were aged 85 years or older.