Latest NL Seniors Report concerning says Seniors’ Advocate

The province’s Seniors’ Advocate, Susan Walsh, has released the Seniors’ Report 2025.

The report provides a profile of the well-being of seniors in Newfoundland and Labrador related to their Individual Health, Health Care, Finances, Housing, Transportation, and Safety and Protection.

There are positive findings in this report, including that 88 per cent of seniors report satisfaction with their lives and 84 per cent feel connected to their communities, only 5 per cent of seniors live in assisted living, personal care homes and long-term care and 89 per cent of seniors continue to drive.

However, the data overwhelmingly find that the well-being of seniors in Newfoundland and Labrador lags behind the Canadian average in all areas.

Half of all seniors have an income below $29,710, which is the lowest median income in Canada, and 44 per cent receive the Guaranteed Income Supplement, a measure of poverty, reaching 52 per cent to 56 per cent in Western, Eastern Rural, and Central, respectively.  

Seniors' food insecurity rose by 5 per cent in the last year.

21 per cent of emergency shelter users are seniors, and 9 per cent of people reported experiencing homelessness for the first time after the age of 55.  

88 per cent of seniors have one chronic health condition, and 45.5 per cent have three or more, yet access to a primary health care provider has continued to decrease, and NL seniors’ access is the lowest of all Canadian provinces.

The waitlist for hip and knee surgery increased by 199 per cent over the last 5 years, and the surgery rates are not nearly keeping pace with the demand.  

Over the last 4 years, there has been a 17 per cent increase in the number of seniors medically discharged from hospital but remain there awaiting appropriate living or care arrangements, with the average length of stay being 30 days. 

Over the last 5 years, there has been a 64 per cent increase in criminal violations against seniors, and the number of referrals for victim services has more than doubled. 

Seniors’ Advocate Susan Walsh said, “The findings in this, our second edition of the Seniors’ Report, continue to be concerning. The facts are that our province has the oldest, poorest, most unhealthy seniors in Canada, and some of the lowest rates on access to needed services. The findings are even worse for rural regions of this province.”