Government of Canada helps more seniors age at home

Press Release

From: Employment and Social Development Canada

December 19, 2023

Mississauga, Ontario

Every senior deserves to age in health, in safety, and in dignity. Everyone should have the choice to age at home, in their communities. The Government of Canada created the Age Well at Home Initiative to help more seniors do this. This program supports community organizations to pilot new approaches, scale up effective, existing ones, and mobilize volunteers to help seniors age at home.

Today, the Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities Kamal Khera, announced up to $465,841 in funding for Seva Food Bank in Mississauga for their project Meals for Seniors. This project will deliver volunteer-based practical support services to help low-income and otherwise vulnerable seniors age at home in Mississauga and Brampton, Ontario.

The Meals for Seniors project was selected after an open call for proposals held in Summer 2022, under the In-Home Support Pilot Projects stream of the Age Well at Home initiative. Up to $39.6 million in funding will be provided for 71 pilot projects across Canada that will mobilize volunteers to give support to lower-income or otherwise vulnerable seniors in their homes. Under the Scaling up for Seniors stream of the initiative, up to $22.2M in funding will be provided to 21 organizations to scale up services that are already helping seniors age in their own homes into new provinces and territories.

The seniors-serving organizations receiving this funding make a real difference in the everyday lives of Canadian seniors. Through their projects, organizations will help seniors with meal preparation, light housekeeping or transportation, and help them navigate and access other available services in their local area. These projects will also support the unique needs of diverse groups of seniors, including seniors who have a low income, are Black or racialized, Indigenous, members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, seniors who live in rural and remote settings, are members of official language minority communities, newcomers and seniors who speak a language other than English or French.

Quotes

“People want to age at home – in health, in safety, and in dignity. There are organizations across the country who are bringing people together in their community to check in and look after their seniors. We’re investing in those organizations, in those volunteers, who are making lives better and communities stronger.”
– Seamus O’Regan Jr., Minister of Labour and Seniors

“When seniors are able to age at home, they’re able to lead their lives independently and to stay in the communities to which they have contributed so much. Through the Age Well at Home initiative, our Government is providing the support needed to seniors-serving organizations to make a real difference, so that more seniors can age well and in place.”
– Kamal Khera, Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities

“It is a point of pride that Seva Food Bank calls Mississauga—Malton home, and we appreciate all that they do to support Seniors and vulnerable communities. That is why I am so proud to see our government investing in Seva Food Bank and the incredible services they provide to Seniors in the riding and beyond.”
-Iqwinder Gaheer, Member of Parliament for Mississauga—Malton

“Seva Food Bank knows firsthand that many seniors are struggling with getting nutritious meals, the need for support is greater than ever. This additional funding to expand the capacity for The Meals for Seniors project is necessary and welcome for those seniors that live at home. This program will support low-income and vulnerable seniors that are unable to prepare meals. Our regular check-ins with these seniors will also help connect them to services across Peel Region. We welcome the Government of Canada’s support in combatting food insecurity amongst seniors.”
– Vipin Saini  Executive Director, Seva Food Bank

Quick facts

Seniors are one of Canada’s fastest-growing population groups. They will represent almost 25% of the population by 2057 and could reach close to 11 million people within 15 years.
Budget 2021 announced $90 million ($76.5M in grants and contributions) over three years for the Age Well at Home initiative. The initiative has been extended and will run until 2025–2026.
The Age Well at Home initiative provides funding to seniors-serving organizations for local, regional and national projects which will allow for the discovery of new approaches and learnings to help seniors age at home.
- Projects funded under the In-Home Support Pilot Projects stream will test the extent to which volunteers can be mobilized to provide local practical supports such as meals, housekeeping and transportation to help low-income and otherwise vulnerable seniors age at home. Organizations will also help seniors navigate and access existing local services.
- Projects funded under the Scaling Up for Seniors stream are expanding services that have already demonstrated positive results in helping seniors age at home. This funding will help organizations to expand services to reach more seniors, including in other provinces or territories. Projects were selected through a nationwide open call for proposals held in 2022.
The Government of Canada increased the Old Age Security by 10% for seniors aged 75 and older and the Guaranteed Income Supplement by up to $947 annually for low-income single seniors.
Through Budget 2023, the Government provided a one-time Grocery Rebate to help the Canadians hardest hit by rising food prices. Seniors were among those who received additional funds on July 5th.

Government of Canada helps more seniors age at home

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