Seniors in Canada are set to become even more diverse as a group than they are already with "millions of baby boomers knocking on the door," says a new report just released.

Statistics Canada, in a report entitled A portrait of seniors in Canada, says what it means to be a senior could change in important ways as members of the baby boom generation turn 65.

The report says the number of seniors in Canada is on the increase, seniors are living longer, the term "old age" now includes a period of 20 years or more, and being a senior for many people is a much different experience than it used to be.

"Seniors themselves are changing," the report says. "Financially, they are much better off than they were a quarter century ago. They are better educated, they are internet savvy and they are active."

But seniors are facing many challenges, it says, including growing rates of obesity, as well as cancer, heart disease, arthritis, rheumatism and high blood pressure. Cancer and heart disease continue to be the main causes of death among seniors.

The report, a statistical profile of people aged 65 and over, says the number of seniors in Canada jumped from 2.4 million to 4.2 million between 1981 and 2005, with their corresponding share of the total population increasing from 9.6 per cent to 13.1 per cent.

Between 2006 and 2026, meanwhile, the number of seniors is expected to increase from 4.3 million to 9.8 million, the report says. Their share of the population is projected to increase from 13.2 per cent to 21.2 per cent.

The report attributes the aging of Canada's population to low fertility rates, longer life expectancy and the effects of the baby boom generation.

It says seniors are living longer: the average 65-year-old in Canada, at the start of the 20th century, could expect to live another 13.3 years, but the same person could expect to live another 19.2 years in 2003.

In the time span between 1991 and 2003, life expectancy at the age of 65 grew by 1.2 years, the report says.

And with "old age" now including a period of 20 years or more, it says the characteristics of seniors are diverse and will become even more so when members of the baby boom generation begin to reach the age of 65 in 2011.

The report, however, points out what many seniors know already: the characteristics of younger seniors, those aged 65 to 74, are quite different from older seniors, those aged 85 and over, and the differences in many cases are dramatic.

These differences manifest themselves in health, financial situations and living arrangements, among other characteristics, it says.

The report says the number of people in Canada aged 65 to 74 will nearly double over the next 20 years, from 2.3 million to 4.5 million, with the corresponding share of young seniors increasing from 7 per cent to 11.9 per cent.

The number of people in Canada aged 85 and older will almost double as well. It is expected to rise from 500,000 in 2006 to about 900,000 in 2026.

Financially, the situation of seniors has improved in the last 25 years, the report says. The average total income, after tax, received by senior couples grew by 18 per cent from $36,300 to $42,800.

"Increasing income levels have benefited seniors in lower income categories and have contributed to a decline in the incidence of low-income among this group," it says.

"Even so, among seniors the incidence of low-income remains highest among women who live alone."

The report says the share of older men taking part in the paid labour force declined from the mid-1970s to the mid-1990s, but that share increased from 58.4 per cent to 66.7 per cent among men aged 55 to 64 and from 16.5 per cent to 23 per cent among aged 65 to 69 between 1996 and 2005.

It says increases in labour force participation have also been noted among older women as well.

"As more and more individuals in the baby boom generation slide into their 60s, the share of the labour force comprised of older workers will increase," it reads.

The report says level of education among seniors could influence their labour force participation. The number of seniors with a post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree increased to 31 per cent from 18 per cent between 1990 and 2005.

"This trend will continue, as half of the Canadians who will turn age 65 over the next decade have one of these credentials," it says.

According to labour force data, seniors with a university degree in 2005 were considered more than four times more likely to take part in the labour force than those eight years or less of formal schooling.

Statistics Canada said it drew from a wide range of data sources to compile the report that looks at the "well-being and wellness" of people aged 65 and over.

source: CBC News