Michael Ennamorato
Special to The Lake Report

Over the past two years, Niagara-on-the-Lake’s seniors housing advisory committee has been raising the profile of seniors housing issues and establishing lines of communication among both public and private sector parties that can effect positive change.

This work has ranged from high-profile advocacy for seniors housing at the NOTL old hospital site, to low-key facilitation of potential partnerships for other opportunities.

The committee’s seniors housing study has provided a sound foundation for these endeavours.

Executed to rigorous standards, it provides a sizable database that can be relied upon to accurately represent the entire NOTL senior population’s characteristics, attitudes, behaviours and needs regarding current and future housing.

As the housing topic gains prominence in public discourse, there is a natural tendency to begin treating the concept of “seniors housing” as a generic shorthand for a complex set of issues.

This tends to streamline thinking and can eventually lead to oversimplification of the challenges and a paring down of possible solutions through a “one size fits all” mentality. The erroneous notion that seniors constitute a single, largely homogeneous, group with one set of prevailing needs can become ingrained within such a mindset.

In light of this, it is useful to revisit the housing study’s rich dataset to underscore two key themes: consensus among seniors on their core requirement and, the diversity of population sub-segments, attitudes, aspirations and needs uncovered among NOTL’s senior residents that require multi-faceted and nuanced solutions.

Among areas of consensus, there are some important “universals” shared by virtually all NOTL seniors. It is clear, for instance, that the large majority share a desire to age in their current community and, ideally, within their current neighbourhood.

Indeed, fully 48 per cent assign this objective a rating of 10/10 for importance. Yes, there are some seniors with much wider-ranging social networks who are not closely tied to NOTL, but these individuals represent a fairly small niche population.

It is also true that all seniors are on a journey characterized by changing needs and dependencies as they age. So, each individual’s current needs may bear little relation to what could be required in the future. This reality alone calls for a fairly wide range of supports and housing options within NOTL to accommodate this inevitable progression, particularly since relatively few seniors have any desire to leave.

A third universal is tied to one’s control of this progression. Without exception, NOTL seniors want to retain as much independence as possible as they age.

The vast majority currently live independently and this sense of independence drives their future needs and desires.

Though they recognize that additional supports and likely new housing arrangements will be required as they grow older, they want to be in command of the change process: adding only what is required as new needs arise while respecting the fundamental principle of maintaining personal independence.

While aging may be characterized by the gradual loss of physical and, sometimes, cognitive abilities, it would seem that one of the greatest sources of anxiety among the elderly is the possibility of losing control over one’s life.

And, while this might be seen as a “universal,” it adds complexity to meeting seniors housing needs because it suggests a requirement to offer nuanced “a la carte” solutions that can, to some degree, be customized as individual circumstances evolve.

When this sort of flexible customization is presented as a possibility, seniors give it an average rating of 9/10 for importance in sustaining future quality of life.

The other universal theme tying all of this together is health care. The survey shows easy access to health care is both a critical priority and a source of concern.

Health care accessibility and the notion of independent living are closely linked in the minds of seniors and, together, form an integrated set of priority needs.

Without doubt, health care support increasingly permeates considerations of housing suitability and overall quality of life through the aging process.

It is no surprise, then, that 73 per cent of seniors assign the importance of “easy access to health care” a score of 10/10 and the majority (59 per cent) consider it to be their first or second most important factor when making housing decisions.

One might say the pillars of health care and community, coupled with the desire to retain independence as circumstances evolve, establish the basis for consensus among seniors when considering their future housing needs.

The large majority want to continue residing in NOTL with access to a range of services that can be acquired as needed and while maximizing their sense of control and independence.

But they also believe the core health care supports and related housing options that can make such aspirations a reality are not yet fully available in NOTL. This creates a point of tension that begs for resolution.

Resolution, though, must take into account a wide range of personal circumstances that complicate the task. Next, we will explore this aspect of the challenge.

Michael Ennamorato is a social geographer, retired researcher and former president of TNS Canada. The NOTL seniors housing survey was designed and analyzed by Steven Ferley and Ennamorato, both NOTL residents with extensive research design and related executive consultancy experience. Fieldwork and data processing were conducted by Niagara College.