Verena Menec, Vancouver Sun

Stories abound in the media about how seniors are going to bankrupt the health care system or how the Canadian pension system will collapse under the burden of a growing senior population.

What we don't hear in the midst of all of these doomsday stories - which are not based in evidence, and are simply wrong - is how seniors con-tribute to society.

The fact that people live longer than ever should be celebrated as one of the biggest success stories in history. As the saying goes: "Getting old is better than the alternative."

How do seniors contribute to society? Like any younger person, they shop, they use services (which employ people), and they pay taxes. They also volunteer; in fact, many organizations would be hard-pressed to function without their older volunteers.

Seniors also give generously. They make more charitable donations per capita than any other age group. Seniors babysit; they look after grandchildren. One can only imagine what would happen to our economy if, suddenly, no grandparents were avail-able to look after grandchildren. How many parents would have to scramble to find other care options (already scarce) - or would have to miss work because they couldn't find alternatives? How many soccer games or bal-let classes would be missed if grandma or grandpa were not there to drive the grandchildren?

Seniors do housework, home maintenance and yard work - not just for themselves, but for others as well. They provide transportation or run errands for others.

They provide emotional support and friendship, like the senior who looks in on a housebound friend to make sure everything is all right and stays for a chat.

To read the full article: http://www.vancouversun.com/life/Without+seniors+rest+society+would+much+worse/7144542/story.html#ixzz24gYLmPkT