The 2023 Grand Parade in Red Deer. (Supplied)

By Josh Hall | @Vancan19

registration open for sept. 21 event

The Grand Parade highlights need to honour seniors, and closing gap between them and youth

Jul 11, 2024 | 10:11 AM

Bridges Community Living in Red Deer is once again inviting the community to celebrate seniors by taking part in the annual Grand Parade, a national initiative intended to honour our aging friends and family.

The Grand Parade is set for Sept. 21 and registration is open. Red Deer’s event features two legs — one downtown and one through Parkvale.

Bridges offers 600 units between its various buildings around the city, including apartments and lodges. It has a waitlist around 150.

It’s also hoping to raise $20,000 locally to put towards improvements at its current low-income housing sites. Last year, about $15,000 was able to be set aside through the Grand Parade for future capital builds.

The cause of the Grand Parade speaks to the issues of inventory, and the need to do better by our seniors, says Geoff Olson, executive director at Bridges.

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“There is a lack of inventory and then there’s pressure to build which creates higher costs,” says Olson.

“We see all kinds of services out there and support for all kinds of great causes and clients who need the support, but when somebody turns 65, we don’t see that anymore. Think about the person who’s had mental health concerns their whole life — as a teenager and in their adult years, they had good supports — when they become a senior, all of a sudden they’re invisible. Those supports aren’t as easy to find or maintain.”

It’s a real issue, and one Olson says is front and centre for people who could very likely live another 40 years.

“They still need the supports they had for the first 60+ years of their life,” he says.

The 2023 Grand Parade in Red Deer. (Supplied)

Grand Parade national organizers point out on their website that the 2016 federal census marked the first time Canada was known to have more people 65 and older than folks 14 and younger, with 5.9 million compared to 5.8 million, or a difference of 100,000.

In the 2021 federal census, the gap was found to be about one million, with just over seven million people 65 and older, and a shade over six million 14 and younger.

In 2021, Alberta counted 629,000 who were 65 and over, and 809,000 14 and younger, a difference of 180,000.

While the inverse of the national numbers, the gap in 2016 was larger at about 279,000 — with 500,000 older and 779,000 younger.

Red Deer in 2016 had about 12,000 older and 18,500 younger, and in 2021, had 15,180 older and 18,300 younger, again a gap that closed by half over the five-year span.

“It’s that baby boomer cohort working its way through the system and putting incredible pressure on it. Most of our buildings locally, when we talk about having affordable and appropriate housing, were built in the twentieth century. Only two were not,” he says.

“Yet, we have this huge number of people aging and looking for that housing, but we’re not able to add to our inventory. Linking this to another real-world situation is when we talk about the housing crisis. That’s a contributor; rent goes up and up, and as you retire, you end up on a fixed income and it consumes a higher percentage of your income.”

Taking part in the Grand Parade is not limited to family and friends of people living in Bridges facilities, and Olson encourages the entire community to come out and show support.

The Red Deer Walk begins and ends at Parkvale Lodge at 4277 46A Avenue. Participants will walk a 2.5 km or 5 km route, enjoy a treat at a rest stop along the way, and return at the end of the morning to a delicious BBQ celebration meal with live entertainment

All those who raise over $150 (or $75 for youth) will receive an iconic The Grand Parade T-shirt as they take to the streets.

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READ MORE: ‘Walk the Talk’ event connects Red Deer seniors and fifth-graders

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