Seniors should not have to pay for their doctor's opinion on whether they are capable of driving past age 80, says B.C.'s seniors advocate.
Dan Levitt says ICBC asks seniors for such a letter when they turn 80, and doctors charge their patients from $50-$300 to write it.
Levitt thinks that the doctor's letter should be free or paid for by the province, and that in addition to a letter from ICBC, seniors on their 80th birthday should receive an appreciative letter from the Minister of Heath: "Congratulations on your birthday, and here's some things you may want to do, and some medical tests you might want to have, and here are some things that could help you live a long and healthy life."
This was one of many seniors issues Levitt discussed with an audience of several dozen at the Nelson Seniors Centre on July 16. His trip to the West Kootenay also included stops in Creston, Castlegar, Trail, Nelson, Fruitvale, and Grand Forks.
He said the shingles vaccine should not cost seniors up to $200 per shot.
"It's cost-prohibitive for low-income seniors," Levitt said, adding that the disease can seriously disable people who already have other health conditions.
"We think there should be a suite of vaccinations for seniors, just like for kids. You should get RSV, COVID, pneumococcal for pneumonia, high-dose influenza, and shingles. All those should be covered for all seniors."
Levitt said these kinds of costs matter because half of seniors in B.C. live on less than $36,000 per year and one-quarter live on less than $23,000 per year.
The Office of the Seniors Advocate is an independent office of the provincial government tasked with looking out for the interests of senors and their caregivers. The office often writes reports recommending seniors-focused changes to government legislation and policy.
Levitt became the seniors advocate in 2024 after occupying leadership positions in long-term care homes in which he promoted dementia-friendly services, and in academia as a professor of gerontology. The office of the seniors advocate can be found online at seniorsadvocatebc.ca/.
Tenants' rights and employee benefits
Levitt said his office is currently lobbying the B.C. government to make changes to the Residential Tenancy Act on behalf of seniors living in several parts of the province (including Nelson) where the owners of retirement homes charged residents illegal rent increases.
Provincial residential tenancy arbitrators in several cases ruled that the increase to the basic rent amount was within the legal limit, but larger increases to mandatory services such as housekeeping were illegal and should be considered part of the rent. These illegal increases forced some senior tenants into a financial crisis.
The seniors advocate's special report on this can be found at https://tinyurl.com/msn4sxb2.
Another of Levitt's advocacy missions is the fact that provincial government employees lose their employee benefits – medical, dental, group life, extended health, pension contributions – if they continue working past 65. Non-government employers often legally cut off similar such benefits at 75.
"By definition, that's age discrimination," Levitt said. "I spoke to the Minister of Labour recently, Jennifer Whiteside, and we're looking at the Employment Standards Act (which was) changed about 20 years ago or so, saying they can't tell you to retire at 65, but they are still allowed to take away those benefits."
Levitt said 15 per cent of B.C.'s population continues to work after 65.
Digital equity, ageism, and housing
Levitt reported there are 1.1 million seniors in B.C. (about one in five, about to become one in four by 2036). This fact prompted a question from an audience member.
"Because there's so many of us, how come they forget about us? I've got lots of friends that do not do social media. They don't even have a cell phone, and it's very difficult for them to do anything."
"Digital is not equitable," Levitt replied. "There are people who are left behind."
He said some grocery stores are discontinuing flyers and offering product discount information online only, thereby blocking many seniors' access to information about affordable products. Banks and other institutions he added frequently send people to online information and services, which some people can't navigate. This elicited nods of agreement throughout Levitt's audience.
He had no legislative solution for this, and he said it is part of a larger problem of ageism, an attitude that devalues and overlooks seniors.
Ageism, he said, includes the assumption that seniors are all the same, when in reality, "If you've met one 79-year-old, you've met one 79-year-old."
Levitt said that in B.C. in 2024, 14,000 seniors were on BC Housing's waiting list for seniors housing, and 800 (six per cent) got a space. This may be connected, he said, to a notable increase in food bank use and homelessness among seniors. He urged the provincial government to spend more on senior's housing.
Levitt touched on a variety of other issues including public transportation, long-term care, and nursing shortages. He recommended the Alzheimer's Society of BC's First Link program as a valuable resource for seniors concerned about dementia or Alzheimer's.
