{"id":4313,"date":"2025-11-12T21:48:10","date_gmt":"2025-11-12T21:48:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pacificpublichealth.ca\/?p=4313"},"modified":"2025-11-12T21:48:10","modified_gmt":"2025-11-12T21:48:10","slug":"investing-in-the-health-of-bcs-aging-population","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pacificpublichealth.ca\/whats-new\/investing-in-the-health-of-bcs-aging-population\/","title":{"rendered":"Investing in the Health of BC’s Aging Population"},"content":{"rendered":"

Public Health is preventing injury and promoting optimal health\u2026 at any age! In Canada, almost one in five people are aged 65 and older<\/a>, and in BC, the older adult population has grown 45% over the past 10 years. By 2035, a quarter of British Columbians will be over the age of 65<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

As the aging population grows, so too does the fear that our older family members may experience a fall, resulting in a serious injury from which they may never recover. Falls are the leading cause of injury among older adults in Canada<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong> One in three older adults in BC experience a fall every year, with 10 to 15 per cent of these falls resulting in serious injuries<\/a>. Although the thought of our loved ones suffering a painful fall is scary, there are things we can do to help prevent this from happening.<\/p>\n\n

By investing in prevention measures we can help to keep our aging loved ones healthy, in their communities, for years to come. With this in mind, the Foundation provided funding to the Northern Health Authority (NH) region, to give Falls Prevention and Healthy Aging grants<\/a> of up to $10,000 each to communities and organizations that assist in preventing falls and promoting healthy aging for adults 55 years and older.<\/p>\n\n

13 grants were awarded to various groups, who were not only given funding, but also guidance and support from NH\u2019s regional nursing lead for injury prevention. This provided an opportunity for the injury prevention team to foster stronger connections to the community, and learn more about their needs.<\/p>\n\n

With their funding, grant recipients completed various projects, such as:<\/p>\n\n