Member-only story
Don’t Leave the Ageing Workforce Behind
They say that growing old is a privilege denied to many. Wiser words have rarely been spoken. But for those of us fortunate enough to realize and enjoy our senior years, ageing can present a whole new set of challenges that younger professional speakers rarely get to think about until they, too, start experiencing their first few wrinkles.
Statistics Canada estimates that as of July 2021, approximately 18.5% of Canadians were 65 or older. We all know that this trend will only keep going up in the foreseeable future. Now, you might be thinking “well, old people don’t attend my presentations anyway, I speak or train working-age adults, not seniors”… But did you know that in 2015, almost 20% of Canadians aged 65 and older, or nearly 1.1 million seniors, worked at some point during the year, including 5.9% who did so full year, full time?
What this means is, whether you realize it or not, that some seniors are still active in the workplace. And that yes, some of them actually do attend our sessions. They, too, make up for a certain percentage of our audiences. Just like audience members with disabilities. Ant both groups have a lot in common.
Recognize that many people are professionally active for much longer than they used to be. Good health and a passion for their work keep many people in their jobs beyond the “age of…
