U of T Talks Focuses on Aging Population

Titled Baby Boomers and Millennials: Writing the Next Chapter, the event was hosted by PhD Candidate Richard Foty. While “baby boomer” refers to the generation born after the Second World War, “millennial” refers to the generation born between the early 1980s and 2000. Many U of T students would fit within the millennial demographic, while boomers may be their aging parents or grandparents.

Foty encouraged the audience to hear “opportunity” in place of words like “need,” “requirement” or “challenge.” “These will be our opportunities for innovation and exploration,” he said.

Among the speakers was Professor Lynn McDonald, a Professor in the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work and co-director of U of T’s Institute for Life Course and Aging, who spoke about elder abuse.

“My message to millennials is this: why would you do this to your future selves? Everyone will age. You have the opportunity to set a new standard for how you will be treated in the future,” said McDonald.  

She presented results from a soon-to-be published study she conducted on ageism and elder abuse. She found that six in 10 Canadians will experience some form of ageism. She also found that 78 per cent of older Canadians reported facing some form of discrimination on the basis of age in the health care system.

Professor Tiff Macklem, Dean of the Rotman School of Management, discussed how millennials will pay for the health care costs of an older population. His answer was direct: they can’t. He explained to the audience how moderate economic gains due to lower growth in productivity and the workforce, coupled with the increasing costs associated with health care – especially for the elderly – was creating an unsustainable situation.

“There is a point at which millennials are simply going to say: no, we’re not going to pay for it,” he said. Macklem suggested the only way to sustain public health care in Canada was to “sacrifice some sacred cows,” which included considering the role the private sector could play, as occurs in some publicly-funded European health systems.

The audience was frequently reminded that creating new accommodations and services for the elderly could provide broader benefits to society. Andrea Austen, a Policy and Development Officer with the City of Toronto remarked, “If you design for the young, you exclude the old. If you design for the old, you include everyone.”

Austen spoke about Toronto’s Senior Strategy, which among other achievements, has installed 1000 more benches throughout the city to provide a resting spot for seniors who may be fatigued.

“It may have been part of our senior strategy, but it won’t only be seniors who sit on those benches,” said Austen.

The event was presented by the Institute of Medical Science (IMS), the IMS Student Association and the IMS Student, Alumni, and Faculty Engagement Committee.