With the oldest population in Northern BC, 100 Mile House has a real opportunity to lead the way on seniors' issues, says Marleen Morris, the Associate Director at the Community Development Institute of Northern British Columbia.
She was one of numerous presenters at the 100 Mile Community Hall during the AGE-FRIENDLY SOCIETY of the South Cariboo's 55+ housing forum on Jan. 24, which had a smashing turnout of more than 150 people.
"More communities in Northern BC will be like [100 Mile is] today by 2036.
"What happens in 100 Mile House can serve as an example and also serve to help other communities deal with their aging population later on. You guys are really forging a trail here in 100 Mile House when it comes to seniors aging in their communities."
While there are other communities with higher seniors percentages, 100 Mile is unique in that it is rural and has snow in the winter, Morris ads.
According to Morris' research (Northern BC Housing Study), not only does 100 Mile have the oldest population in Northern BC, it also has a large discrepancy between the available housing and the demand for housing. The research shows 100 Mile has the highest percentage of one and two-person households (73.4 per cent) but only 33 per cent of homes are one and two bedroom houses.
"On the other side of the equation, the number of four plus person households is 12 per cent of the population but the number of four plus bedroom houses is 31 per cent of the housing [stock]. So there is a mismatch between the household size and the housing stock here.
"We know that as people age, a lot of people want to stay in their own homes. So one of the things that the community can do is to make sure that the services are here that allow people to stay in their own homes."
Providing these services such as yard work, repairs, cleaning, and cooking, provides employment opportunities, Morris says.
Other big opportunities are housing modifications or developing new housing that's suited to rural seniors in northern climates. If local developers become experts in seniors' housing they can then export this knowledge to other communities once their seniors population increases, according to Morris.
Additionally, "more and more people are going to retire out of jobs that they hold and those jobs are going to free up for a younger generation.
She says these new jobs will attract young families who can then buy up the larger family homes.
"A lot of them for the past three or four decades have had to leave the north because there have been no opportunities here. Now there are opportunities here.
"The other thing is that the southern regions of the province are becoming more and more expensive."
Province-wide, BC currently has 850,00 people over 65, which will increase to 1.4 million in the next twenty years, according to MLA Dr. Darryl Plecas, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health for Seniors, who was one of the other presenters.
At the event, which ran from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., attendees were served lunch and broke down into table discussions.
Attendees were also asked to complete a housing survey.
The surveys will be turned into a summary report that will be available to anyone wishing to invest and develop seniors' housing and services, according to Lea Smirfitt, the executive director of the AGE FRIENDLY SOCIETY of the South Cariboo.
"This is all informing our community from a development standpoint. What kind of businesses are we going to need? What kind of jobs are going to be needed? As well as, what kind of housing developments. What kind of services for people that would like to remain in their homes are we going to need?"
Smirfitt says the feedback she received was overwhelmingly positive.
"The feedback I've received so far says that it was a real success. I've had lots of positive feedback."
Smirfitt would like to extend a "huge thank you to the people who attended, the partners who helped and all of the volunteers."
If you would like to complete the survey, visit www.100milehouse.com to complete it online or download a printable version. Alternatively, you can pick one up at the District of 100 Mile House Office, the South Cariboo Rec. Centre, the Cariboo Regional District or one of the CRD libraries in 100 Mile House, Bridge Lake, Forest Grove and Lac la Hache. The deadline is Feb. 14.
Additionally, more typists are needed to enter the handwritten forms. To volunteer, contact Lea Smirfitt at 250-791-6406 or email sc.agefriend ly@gmail.com.