If you are in distress, you can call or text 988 at any time. If it is an emergency, call 9-1-1 or go to your local emergency department.

Home › Resources › Fact Sheet – Municipalities and the Aging Population

Fact Sheet – Municipalities and the Aging Population

MUNICIPALITIES AND THE AGING POPULATION

The proportion of Canada’s population over the age of 65 will increase from 13% in 2006 to 22% in 2026. The aging of the population will bring a corresponding significant increase in the number of seniors with mental health problems and illnesses.

Because of their responsibilities for transportation, the built environment, social housing, and in some jurisdictions long-term care, community services, recreation, and other services, municipalities have a large role to play in improving the mental health of seniors.

THE FACTS

  • While cognitive impairments, including dementias, encompass many of the mental health problems and illnesses faced by seniors, other problems, especially mood disorders and substance abuse, are equally prevalent.
  • Vulnerable older adults and seniors with reduced mobility are not just at higher risk of poor physical health but also of poor mental health.
  • Isolation is an important risk factor for poor mental health of seniors.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

  • Consult the MHCC’s Guidelines for Comprehensive Mental Health Services for Older Adults in Canada for details about housing and community services planning considerations.
  • Use The Seniors’ Mental Health Policy Lens Toolkit when planning changes to municipal programs and policies.
  • Expand the availability of affordable supported housing that will meet the unique needs of an aging population.
  • Make your municipality an age-friendly community, including paying attention to safety issues and how the built environment and transportation encourage mobility.
  • Involve seniors in the planning of community and recreation services that meet their needs.

A broad range of efforts is needed to promote the mental health of seniors…Age-friendly communities facilitate access to appropriate housing and transportation and contribute to reducing the risk of social isolation. (Changing Directions, Changing Lives: the Mental Health Strategy for Canada).

Feedback Form

Hey, thanks for checking out this resource. After you’ve seen it, we’d love to learn a bit more about your interests and how you found us. Was the information what you looking for? Was it helpful? We’ll use any feedback you provide to further improve what we do.

Are you willing to be contacted within 3 to 6 months for a short follow-up survey?
In case of “Yes” – please provide an email address
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

SHARE THIS PAGE

RELATED

Review our Assessment Framework for Mental Health Apps — a national framework containing key standards for safe, quality, and effective mental health apps in Canada.

To help expand the use of e-mental health services, we developed four online learning modules based on our Toolkit for E-Mental Health Implementation, in collaboration with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH).

Stepped Care 2.0© (SC2.0) is a transformative model for organizing and delivering evidence-informed mental health and substance use services.