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The Changing Well-Being of Older Adult Registered Indians: An Analysis Using the Registered Indian Human Development Index

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 March 2010

Martin Cooke ,
Eric Guimond  and
Jennifer McWhirter
Martin Cooke*
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology, University of Waterloo Population Health Research Group, University of Waterloo
Eric Guimond
Affiliation:
Strategic Research and Analysis Directorate, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada
Jennifer McWhirter
Affiliation:
Population Health Research Group, University of Waterloo
*
Requests for offprints should be sent to:/Les demandes de tirés-à-part doivent être adressées à: Martin Cooke, Ph.D., Department of Sociology/Department of Health Studies and Gerontology, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 3G1, (cooke@uwaterloo.ca)
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Abstract

The demographic aging of the Registered Indian population suggests that the social, economic, and health conditions of older Registered Indians will be increasingly important for communities and policymakers. We have adapted the United Nations Development Program's Human Development Index using data from the Census of Canada and the Indian Register to measure whether improvements seen in the knowledge, standard of living, and health of the Registered Indian population between 1981 and 2001 are also observed among Registered Indians of older ages. The absolute levels of well-being of older Registered Indians were found to have improved, but gaps with other older Canadians had widened, particularly in terms of income and male life expectancy.

Résumé

Le vieillissement de la population des Indiens inscrits laisse croire que les conditions socioéconomiques et l'état de santé des aînés revêtiront une importance de plus en plus grande pour les collectivités et les responsables de l'élaboration des politiques. Nous avons adapté l'indice du développement humain du Programme des Nations Unies pour le développement à l'aide des données provenant du Recensement du Canada et du Registre des Indiens afin de voir si les améliorations observées au niveau des connaissances, du niveau de vie et de la santé de la population des Indiens inscrits entre 1981 et 2001 sont également observées au sein de la population des Indiens inscrits plus âgés. Nous constatons que les niveaux absolus de bien-être des Indiens inscrits plus âgés se sont améliorés, mais que les écarts avec les autres aînés canadiens se sont accentués, notamment en ce qui a trait au revenu et à l'espérance de vie des hommes.

Keywords

vieillissementautochtoneCanadasantérevenuéducationagingAboriginalCanadahealthincomeeducation
Type
Articles
Information
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement , Volume 27 , Issue 4 , Winter/Hiver 2008 , pp. 385 - 397
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 2008

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