A familiar face welcomes people at the front desk of the Seniors Active Living Centre in Charlottetown on Monday mornings: retired provincial fire marshal David Blacquiere, sorting 50/50 tickets and ticking off members’ names as they walk through the door. Inside, the centre offers a place for older Islanders to spend time together and enjoy planned activities, from card games like bridge and poker, to yoga and pool, forming friendships that can build over weeks and months. “We’re providing something here that’s very healthy for them,” said Blacquiere. “If you’re left on your own, what’s there for you?” New data from the National Institute on Ageing (NIA) suggests many older Canadians are struggling to find that kind of connection — and feeling less optimistic about their later years. The institute’s 2025 Ageing in Canada Survey found positive feelings about aging fell among people 50 and older, from 62 per cent in 2024 to 56 per cent last year, the steepest drop since the survey began in 2022. The report also points to persistent problems: 57 per cent reported experiencing loneliness and 43 per cent were at risk of social isolation, numbers that have not changed significantly. It raises concerns not only for potential mental health challenges, but physical health ones too, said Talia Bronstein, the NIA’s policy director. “Social isolation is akin to the kind of outcomes we see with chronic disease,” she said, adding the more alone a senior becomes, the harder it can be to go out and seek care. “It can really reduce somebody’s ability to live a healthy, independent life.” The report also breaks down the top barriers to staying socially engaged. For those aged 50 to 64, Bronstein said affordability was the biggest block. Of the 6,001 Canadians surveyed who had not yet retired, fewer than one-third, or 29 per cent, said they can afford to do so when they want to, down from 35 per cent in 2022. About one in five (22 per cent) reported having less than $5,000 saved for retirement. “That really puts a strain on people’s financial situation,” Bronstein said. “It also puts a great reliance on our public systems, for example, Old Age Security and the Guaranteed Income Supplement that fill in those gaps for older adults that may not have a pension plan or savings.” Addressing the problem, Bronstein said, means services must be both affordable and accessible. Bronstein pointed to community-based seniors’ organizations, which she said often rely on volunteers and insecure funding. “We really need to invest in this sector to make sure that we have this robust safety net for our older adults in community,” she said, citing services that range from personal care support and meal delivery to practical help like snow shovelling. Back at the Seniors Active Living Centre, Blacquiere said some Islanders come in five days a week, making the most of their membership, which costs $35 a year. The funds are used to help maintain programming, like lunches. “We wouldn’t turn anybody away because of the cost,” he added. One of the challenges is making sure seniors know the centre exists, and another is getting them there. “I would love to be able to say, ‘We’ll send a car over to pick you up and bring you here,’” he said. “That’s the other side of the coin too.” Blacquiere pulled out a brochure for the P.E.I. Friendly Visitor Program, run by the province’s Senior Citizens’ Federation. It pairs older Islanders at risk of social isolation with trained volunteers for weekly, one-hour visits -- support that can reach people at home when transportation is a barrier. Janet King, one of the federation’s directors, said mobility can get in the way. She says some seniors - including her and her husband - are less inclined, for example, to go out after dark, particularly in the winter. And while many may want to join a club, some hesitate to volunteer, or worry it will be costly to keep up with group activities, like potlucks. “People want company, but they don’t necessarily want to get involved with a lot of additional commitments,” she said. “If people think that they’re going to get involved with an additional financial burden, that’s also a huge deterrent.” King said she’d like to see the provincial government set up a volunteer-run seniors chat line - using trained callers such as social work students, people in seniors’ services, or seniors themselves - to reach those aging at home. Blacquiere said the difference social connection can make is hard to miss at the centre. “I’ve heard 90-year-olds, well into their 90s, saying, ‘If we didn’t have this, what would we do?’” he said. “They’re so pleased that this is here.”
