Today is your day Boomer! Boomers....within 10 years, one of four British Columbians will be officially "seniors", 65 or older. And of course, we are part of this! But do we need more attention from government, more helping programs, more services....more money? Yes, we do. So the good news is we have a "seniors advocate" in our province, one who lobbies, pushes and promotes what we need. Dan Levitt says we need "to develop and implement a cross-ministry strategy and action plan to strengthen supports and services for seniors." He adds: "The recent flurry of announcements of new and replacement long-term care spaces and the updated poverty plan are encouraging, but seniors also need assurance that government is working to improve availability of seniors subsidized housing, access to health care, affordable transportation and home care, and better income supports.” How bad is it? Levitt says "the average wait time for a long-term care bed went up 54% to 209 days last year compared to 2019; the number of seniors on the waitlist increased 136% to 5,175 over the same period. As well, there was a 59% increase in the waitlist for seniors subsidized housing between 2019-2023, and of those, 17% of applicants have been waiting more than five years." Whew! Boomers, are you worried? I am....helppppp government!
Today is your day Boomer! Relaxing in my hot tub this morning, I had reflections of the 1970 CCR song "Lookin' out my Back Door". Yes, that kind of druggy, but catchy song, about the view of your backyard. Mine is spectacular: colourful sunrises, big ponderosa pines, cheer, apple, fir, and weeping willow trees, two mountains, sheep and chickens next door, two frolicking golden retrievers, beautiful green grass and what seems like a thousand birds...including quail, pheasant, chickadees, woodpeckers, and blue jays. And what else? Well....the quiet, the solitude, and the chance for reflection with no sirens, car noise, yelling people, or neighbours invading your privacy. It was...is...just beautiful, and I am so blessed to live in a rural area in BC's Okanagan Valley. Boomers, what's out your back door? John Fogerty's "tangerines and elephants" or something like my cheeries and coyotes? Check it out and appreciate the little things in life. Cheers...

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