B.C. residents living longer but not prepared for health care, housing needs: study

B.C. residents are living longer but are not doing enough to prepare for long-term care and their housing needs, which are key factors to longevity, according to a new study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Most Canadians want to age in their home, but they also say they are not prepared for everyday tasks when they are in their 90s or older, such as taking out the trash or changing a lightbulb, says Joseph Coughlin, founder and director of the MIT AgeLab.

“You may be aware of the stairs, but are you thinking about how those may need to change, or how the bathroom may need to be modified? And then are you doing something about it?” he said.

Researchers from the MIT AgeLab created a Longevity Preparedness Index (LPI) that measures aging preparedness across eight indicators of longevity, including community, social connection, finance, daily activities, life transitions, health, housing, and care.

Each indicator was evaluated on a scale of zero to 100. The index suggests that Canadians are only “modestly prepared” for longer lives, scoring 60 out of 100 on the LPI.

While the report suggests many Canadians are prepared financially (66 LPI) and have community access to services and health care (75 LPI), they are not prepared for long-term care (40 LPI) and safe, accessible housing (53 LPI.)

Finance scores were highest in B.C. and Quebec, and lowest in the Prairies. B.C. had the same mark as the country overall when it comes to being prepared for care (40 LPI) and was also fairly low in health and housing preparedness (56 and 58 LPI, respectively.)

When it comes to community, B.C. had the highest marks of all provinces (77 LPI).

The findings, which were funded by Manulife, were presented Tuesday at the insurance company’s inaugural Longevity Symposium in Vancouver.

The goal, Coughlin said, is to start a conversation about what families should be talking about and prepared for as people live up to 100 or even longer.

“This is about longevity preparedness, not planning,” said Coughlin. “Planning is a grocery store list, it’s a matter of good intentions. But we all know that until that food is in your cart, on your counter, and frankly on your plate, you’re not eating.”

For the study, researchers looked at each indicator and whether it was something the respondents were aware of, whether they were giving it attention, and whether they were taking action.

Aging well depends on more than finances alone, with health, housing, care, social connection and community all playing critical roles, Coughlin said.

“We have never had this many people living this long within the social context we have today. Longevity is still a relatively new phenomenon,” he added.

“Most of us, as we get older, are hacking old age.”

A 2021 University of B.C. study found that life expectancy varies in Metro Vancouver depending on what neighbourhood or city you live in. For example, the study found people in more affluent areas of West Vancouver, Point Grey, northwest Richmond and parts of South Surrey live longer than those in poorer neighbourhoods such as Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside and Haney in Maple Ridge.

Coughlin agreed that research shows that those living in urban and well-off areas have higher life expectancy.

The MIT researchers also asked Canadians what they thought were priorities when it comes to living longer and a majority said health care and finances. But health received one of the lowest scores on the preparedness index, revealing a gap between recognizing the importance of health and taking steps to support long-term wellbeing.

While only 11 per cent of Canadians identify future care needs and caregiving as a top priority, more than twice as many (26 per cent) believe it will be important to their wellbeing later in life, according to the study.

The findings suggest Canadians recognize the importance of planning for care, but many are delaying conversations until the need becomes more immediate, said Coughlin.

“If you think about it from zero to about 65, your life has been well-choreographed by parents, teachers, coaches,” he said.

“You get to 65, you’re basically left with a story that’s somewhere between cruises and crutches, and you think it’s a short story — you know, golf, maybe a trip to Disney with the grandkids.”

Coughlin added that many people assume their spouse or children (notably the eldest daughter) will take care of the details, but many people end up woefully ill-prepared. This is a current trend for Generation X women.

“Less than 25 per cent of us have actually had the conversation. So we wake up one day needing care and come to you, the oldest adult daughter, and go, ‘Surprise! I’m here,'” he said.

“We often talk about Gen X being the sandwich generation, stuck between kids and parents. But it’s more like a panini, stressed and pressed because you’ve got kids, you’ve got jobs, and your own health to think about.”

According to the latest Statistics Canada data, the average lifespan in B.C. is 82 years. But with healthy lifestyle factors, a strong community, and medicine, many residents are living into their 90s and beyond, said Coughlin.

Manulife says it developed the index with MIT because people are living longer than ever before, yet there has been no comprehensive way to measure how prepared they are for the realities of those longer lives. As a health and retirement plan insurance provider, Manulife has a stake in longevity planning.