Analysis

Just as the responsibility of raising children is lifting, many families are facing a new challenge providing care to aging parents, relatives or friends. The intensity of work and eldercare can affect the work life balance of the caregiver. An examination of the prevalence and impact of caregiving among those aged 45 to 64, looking at the hours spent on both paid work and informal care of seniors.

This article presents information about access to transportation by different age groups; then, it discusses the impact of having either more or less access to transportation on seniors' activities and quality of life. Finally, the article examines the characteristics of those seniors who are most likely to have limited access to transportation, and are thus most likely to face restrictions in their everyday activities.

The proportion of Canadians receiving governmentsubsidized home care was almost stable between 1994/95 and 2003, rising only slightly from 2.5% to 2.7%. Over that period, the average age of people receiving this type of care fell from just under 65 to 62. Among people who needed help with personal care, the proportion receiving government-subsidized home care fell from one-half to one-third. In 1994/95, 8% of recipients of government-subsidized home care were incontinent; by 2003, the proportion had more than doubled to 17%.

In 2003, 15% of seniors living in private households received some form of home care. Over half of seniors who had home care received it from formal sources only services entirely or partially covered by government, private agencies or volunteers. Housework was the most common type of home care received by seniors. Four in ten seniors who needed help moving about in their house, and one-third of those who needed help with personal care, did not receive home care.

We analyze the degree to which Canadian families are covered by private pension plans and document how their savings for retirement (made through contributions to tax-assisted retirement savings programs) have evolved over the last two decades. We find that two-parent families, lone-parent families and other individuals located in the bottom quintile of the earnings distribution are not better prepared for retirement than their counterparts were in the mid-1980s or the early 1990s. On the other hand, those located in the top quintile are better prepared than their counterparts were in the mid-1980s or the early 1990s. As a result, Canadian families' preparedness for retirement, which was fairly unequal in the mid-1980s, has become even more unequal over the last two decades. This finding has important implications for the future. Recent research has shown that the maturation of the Canada and Quebec Pension Plans (C/QPPs) has led to a substantial reduction in income inequality among the elderly between the early 1980s and the mid-1990s. In the absence of offsetting trends, the growing inequality in Canadian families preparedness for retirement implies that that the distribution of family income among seniors should become more unequal in the years to come.

This study provides a detailed analysis of findings based on the 2005 General Social Survey on Time Use, with some analysis of trends over time using the 1992 and 1998 time use surveys. It addresses whether older Canadians are aging well by examining the relative importance their time use patterns and health have on their overall life satisfaction.

Like other countries in the Western world, Canada's population is aging. For more than a decade, our society has been concerned with the negative aspects of population aging such as how to care for those who are old, or how to manage pension schemes for increasing numbers of retirees. Yet with the impending retirement of a large cohort of baby boomers, the attention has been turned to more positive aspects of aging.

The term 'aging well' now has become part of the language when thinking about older adults. Aging is seen as an ongoing process of managing the challenges associated with life transitions and with changing levels of personal resources such as health, wealth and social connections. Those who age well are able to find a balance or fit between their activities and these resources and to remain satisfied with their lives.

For women and men, and for younger and older seniors, the ideal balance may differ, though for both, health is a key resource. In fact, one of the key theories of aging well is that those who are in good health have the potential to have more choices over their daily activities and are more likely to feel satisfied with their lives. Active engagement is seen as another key component of aging well.

Time use patterns of older Canadians provide a useful window into understanding aging well. This study examines the main components of aging well-activity patterns and health of older Canadians. It considers several questions about aging well:1. What are the activity patterns of older Canadians? 2. What are the trends in activity patterns over time?

These two questions provide a picture of how older adults are engaged in various activities and whether levels of activity patterns change with age:3. What are the levels of health of older Canadians?4. How do levels of health change with age?

These two questions provide a picture of how the 'resource' of health may differ among older Canadians.

5. What is the relationship among activity patterns, health and life satisfaction?This final question provides insight into the relative importance of health and activity level in aging well.

This study analyzes the impact of widowhood on income, as well as changes in the low-income rate and the sources of income among women and men 65 years of age and over, who became widowed at any point between 1993 and 2003. The source of data is Statistics Canada's Longitudinal Administrative Databank (LAD).

A registered retirement savings plan (RRSP) constitutes a key component of retirement income planning in Canada. RRSPs allow individuals to save pre-tax dollars in a variety of investment instruments where interest, dividends and capital gains accrue tax free until the funds are withdrawn. However, the taxman will eventually receive his due. RRSPs must be converted into an annuity or a registered retirement income fund (RRIF) in the year the taxpayer turns 69, with prescribed minimum withdrawals starting the following year. RRSP withdrawals already generate significant tax revenues, estimated at over $4 billion in 2002. Although mandatory conversion affects mainly middle- and high-income earners, some low-income savers could have their means-tested social benefits reduced by the boost in income.

While the majority of Canadians aged 50 to 69 not in the labour force were retired in 2003, nearly half a million were not working for health-related reasons. The Canadian Community Health Survey is used to compare the health of working individuals aged 50 to 69 with their contemporaries who are not working, whether for health or other reasons. Chronic conditions and lifestyle choices are also examined.

These products present extensive historical, up-to-date and detailed information covering the following topics: Old Age Security programs, registered pension plans (RPPs), registered retirement savings plans (RRSPs), trusteed pension funds, pension adjustment (PA), retirement compensation arrangements (RCAs), Canada Pension Plan (CPP) and Quebec Pension Plan (QPP).

These products will be useful for a wide audience, including pension professionals (e.g., employee benefit and investment specialists), employers and policy analysts, as well as educational institutions whose curricula cover these increasingly important programs.

Important note: Please refer to the content note for specifics concerning the information available in each medium.

Just as the responsibility of raising children is lifting, many families are facing a new challenge providing care to aging parents, relatives or friends. The intensity of work and eldercare can affect the work life balance of the caregiver. An examination of the prevalence and impact of caregiving among those aged 45 to 64, looking at the hours spent on both paid work and informal care of seniors.

This article presents information about access to transportation by different age groups; then, it discusses the impact of having either more or less access to transportation on seniors' activities and quality of life. Finally, the article examines the characteristics of those seniors who are most likely to have limited access to transportation, and are thus most likely to face restrictions in their everyday activities.

The proportion of Canadians receiving governmentsubsidized home care was almost stable between 1994/95 and 2003, rising only slightly from 2.5% to 2.7%. Over that period, the average age of people receiving this type of care fell from just under 65 to 62. Among people who needed help with personal care, the proportion receiving government-subsidized home care fell from one-half to one-third. In 1994/95, 8% of recipients of government-subsidized home care were incontinent; by 2003, the proportion had more than doubled to 17%.

In 2003, 15% of seniors living in private households received some form of home care. Over half of seniors who had home care received it from formal sources only services entirely or partially covered by government, private agencies or volunteers. Housework was the most common type of home care received by seniors. Four in ten seniors who needed help moving about in their house, and one-third of those who needed help with personal care, did not receive home care.

We analyze the degree to which Canadian families are covered by private pension plans and document how their savings for retirement (made through contributions to tax-assisted retirement savings programs) have evolved over the last two decades. We find that two-parent families, lone-parent families and other individuals located in the bottom quintile of the earnings distribution are not better prepared for retirement than their counterparts were in the mid-1980s or the early 1990s. On the other hand, those located in the top quintile are better prepared than their counterparts were in the mid-1980s or the early 1990s. As a result, Canadian families' preparedness for retirement, which was fairly unequal in the mid-1980s, has become even more unequal over the last two decades. This finding has important implications for the future. Recent research has shown that the maturation of the Canada and Quebec Pension Plans (C/QPPs) has led to a substantial reduction in income inequality among the elderly between the early 1980s and the mid-1990s. In the absence of offsetting trends, the growing inequality in Canadian families preparedness for retirement implies that that the distribution of family income among seniors should become more unequal in the years to come.

This study provides a detailed analysis of findings based on the 2005 General Social Survey on Time Use, with some analysis of trends over time using the 1992 and 1998 time use surveys. It addresses whether older Canadians are aging well by examining the relative importance their time use patterns and health have on their overall life satisfaction.

Like other countries in the Western world, Canada's population is aging. For more than a decade, our society has been concerned with the negative aspects of population aging such as how to care for those who are old, or how to manage pension schemes for increasing numbers of retirees. Yet with the impending retirement of a large cohort of baby boomers, the attention has been turned to more positive aspects of aging.

The term 'aging well' now has become part of the language when thinking about older adults. Aging is seen as an ongoing process of managing the challenges associated with life transitions and with changing levels of personal resources such as health, wealth and social connections. Those who age well are able to find a balance or fit between their activities and these resources and to remain satisfied with their lives.

For women and men, and for younger and older seniors, the ideal balance may differ, though for both, health is a key resource. In fact, one of the key theories of aging well is that those who are in good health have the potential to have more choices over their daily activities and are more likely to feel satisfied with their lives. Active engagement is seen as another key component of aging well.

Time use patterns of older Canadians provide a useful window into understanding aging well. This study examines the main components of aging well-activity patterns and health of older Canadians. It considers several questions about aging well:1. What are the activity patterns of older Canadians? 2. What are the trends in activity patterns over time?

These two questions provide a picture of how older adults are engaged in various activities and whether levels of activity patterns change with age:3. What are the levels of health of older Canadians?4. How do levels of health change with age?

These two questions provide a picture of how the 'resource' of health may differ among older Canadians.

5. What is the relationship among activity patterns, health and life satisfaction?This final question provides insight into the relative importance of health and activity level in aging well.

This study analyzes the impact of widowhood on income, as well as changes in the low-income rate and the sources of income among women and men 65 years of age and over, who became widowed at any point between 1993 and 2003. The source of data is Statistics Canada's Longitudinal Administrative Databank (LAD).

A registered retirement savings plan (RRSP) constitutes a key component of retirement income planning in Canada. RRSPs allow individuals to save pre-tax dollars in a variety of investment instruments where interest, dividends and capital gains accrue tax free until the funds are withdrawn. However, the taxman will eventually receive his due. RRSPs must be converted into an annuity or a registered retirement income fund (RRIF) in the year the taxpayer turns 69, with prescribed minimum withdrawals starting the following year. RRSP withdrawals already generate significant tax revenues, estimated at over $4 billion in 2002. Although mandatory conversion affects mainly middle- and high-income earners, some low-income savers could have their means-tested social benefits reduced by the boost in income.

While the majority of Canadians aged 50 to 69 not in the labour force were retired in 2003, nearly half a million were not working for health-related reasons. The Canadian Community Health Survey is used to compare the health of working individuals aged 50 to 69 with their contemporaries who are not working, whether for health or other reasons. Chronic conditions and lifestyle choices are also examined.

These products present extensive historical, up-to-date and detailed information covering the following topics: Old Age Security programs, registered pension plans (RPPs), registered retirement savings plans (RRSPs), trusteed pension funds, pension adjustment (PA), retirement compensation arrangements (RCAs), Canada Pension Plan (CPP) and Quebec Pension Plan (QPP).

These products will be useful for a wide audience, including pension professionals (e.g., employee benefit and investment specialists), employers and policy analysts, as well as educational institutions whose curricula cover these increasingly important programs.

Important note: Please refer to the content note for specifics concerning the information available in each medium.