Giving Compass' Take:

• Canadian author Jason Lesage lays out the reasons why philanthropy needs to provide more support for the senior population. 

• Why do people forget about the aging population when thinking about human services? How can we make seniors a priority for the social sector? 

• Learn about how geo-spacing demography programs are mapping out where seniors are most likely live so that more services can be located around them. 

I’ve heard from more than one source that charitable giving is shifting away from seniors to other sectors, such as arts and culture, children and youth, and amateur sports organizations. Seniors are just not “sexy.” There’s a bit of a zero-sum game taking place, and this isn’t right.

The world of fundraising is quite competitive; — there are many excellent not-for-profit organizations in B.C. that make a world of difference to the people they serve. What they do is important and their success is warranted. However, I’ve had many meetings with individuals and businesses in the community, and it’s apparent that seniors organizations don’t receive the same consideration as other charities.

The high standard of living we enjoy today is built upon the hard work from today’s seniors. Whether they were a corporate executive, worked in front-line retail, started their own business, or created beautiful art, we owe them the care and comfort they deserve.

There have been many articles written lately expounding the need for more seniors care. There are now more people in Canada who are 65 years of age or older than there are 15 and under. Thought leaders in seniors care are asking if different models are needed in order to accommodate this “grey tsunami.” It’s good to re-evaluate how we take care of our seniors. We also need to re-think how we support seniors care through philanthropy.

Read the full article about philanthropy for seniors by Jason Lesage at The Vancouver Sun.