“Age is all imagination. Ignore years and they’ll ignore you.” Ella Wheeler-Wilcox

Are you over 65 years of age? Do you consider yourself a “senior”? If not, then you are in good company with other Canadians. The Seniors Secretariat of Health and Welfare Canada conducted 11 focus groups with two separate age groups - today’s seniors - those aged 65 and over and tomorrow’s seniors - aged 45 to 64. The Secretariat was hoping to find out how older Canadians - men and women belonging to a wide range of cultures and language groups and from rural and urban areas of the country - define various concepts often associated with seniors.

At each regional session, up to nine participants, or panelists, were invited to talk about issues that were important in their lives. At least one panel member in each group had a physical disability, and in three of the cities, at least four panelists were rural dwellers. Panelists were quizzed on their reactions to various words and concepts determined through previous research to be important to seniors. Among these were “independence” and related concepts such as having and making choices, wellness and dignity; and “quality of life” and related concepts such as health and well-being, financial security, transportation and mobility, and social ties.

The following are some of the main findings of this cross-country study:

· Emotionally, many seniors associate “independence” with happiness and self-respect. Behaviourally, it means being free to do what one wants to do. Intellectually, it means being responsible for one’s own life and making one’s own decisions.

· Tomorrow’s seniors (aged 45 - 64) describe “independence” as the ability to maintain one’s health, financial independence, freedom and mobility, and to stay in one’s own home. Many feel that seniors need better information on benefits and health care alternatives in order to make good choices for their future.

· Government programs such as the Canada Pension Plan and Medicare, among others, are vital to a good quality of life for Canadian seniors. Community-level organizations working on behalf of seniors are also widely appreciated.

· Both age groups - today’s seniors and tomorrow’s seniors - perceive the word “seniors” to mean frail, very old people. Even in sessions where all panelists were 65 or over, many did not consider themselves “seniors”.

· Many seniors are actively involved in community life and volunteering, either formally through community groups, or informally - for example, by assisting a neighbour with household chores.(Adapted from Seniors Info Exchange Fall 1992)

Perhaps taking an interest in or being involved in community life is one of the secrets to feeling young at any age. “It’s not how old you are, but how you are old” Marie Dressler

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