Canadians are living longer than ever before, and now over 18% of the nation’s population is age 65 and older – a proportion that is growing rapidly and expected to reach 20% by 2025. The average lifespan is 89 years for women and 87 years for men, and the fastest-growing age group is centenarians (those over 100 years of age), whose growth rate has exceeded that of the overall population over the past 20 years.

Life Expectancy in Canada, at birth (from 1960 to 2019):

But while the demographics are changing, one thing that remains the same is the desire of most older people to remain in their own homes for as long as possible. Having access to the health and social supports and services needed to live safely and independently in your own home for as long as you wish or are able is an important part of aging in place. Thinking about the future, planning ahead, and making key decisions ahead of time are important to ensuring you have the best opportunity to age in place, in your own home and community.

Why use the
Aging in Place Toolkit?

To maintain health and independence

This Aging in Place Toolkit has been designed to help you think about the various aspects of maintaining health and independence as you age, and what kind of considerations are involved in making a plan and decisions to support you to age in place.

To prepare for the future

The questions, checklists, and resources in the Toolkit cover many different aspects of life and aging, and will help you understand what you can do now, and in the future, to prepare for your older years and give you the best chance to have a more positive experience as you age.

To maintain control

Thinking about what you would like your life to be in 10, 15, or 20 years, and what you can do now, could give you more control over future changes and help you avoid making hasty decisions, especially when faced with a crisis.

To plan for 9 key areas of life:

(1) My Health
(2) My Home
(3) My Transportation
(4) My Finances
(5) My Connections
(6) My Safety
(7) My Supports and Services
(8) My Community
(9) My Partner and I

Want to download a PDF of the checklist to complete offline?

Resources

As you complete the checklist, relevant resources (such as websites and documents) will pop up depending on your individual responses. You can also review all resources in the Resource Library.