(Be sure to check out our upcoming conference on aging and the family here.)
Canada is amid a profound demographic shift. Our population is aging at an unprecedented rate, and this trend will only speed up over the next three decades. This is not merely a statistical fact. There will be profound emotional processes that go along with this shift at the individual, family, and societal level. As stressors related to an older population grow, there is a risk of a reactive response. This can be a tendency to project our anxieties onto the aging population. The drive to reduce anxiety can lead to viewing them as a “problem” to be “fixed” rather than an integral part of our collective well-being. A systems perspective can offer a powerful lens for understanding this phenomenon.
The Data and the Pressure
The data from the past and projected for the future unequivocally supports increasing pressure on Canadian society. Over the last 30 years, life expectancy has risen, and the percentage of the population aged 65 and over has surpassed the percentage of children. This demographic imbalance puts an immense strain on our social and economic systems. Pension plans, healthcare services, and long-term care facilities, which were designed for a different era, are now struggling to meet the rising demand. The challenge is that managing the reactivity may be harder than managing the problem itself.
This shift has been accompanied by a parallel change in our attitudes toward aging and dying. We have moved from a culture that avoided the topic of death to one that embraces open discussion, a focus on dignity, and pursuiting Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID). Similarly, there is a strong and growing desire among Canadians to “age in place” and remain in their homes for as long as possible.
This is where the collision occurs. The emotional and attitudinal desire for autonomy clashes with the reality of an under-funded and understaffed system. The wish to age at home is often unmet because of a critical shortage of personal support workers, leaving the burden of care squarely on families. Add to this the situation with housing, affordable housing, across Canada.
It’s a Societal and Family Situation, Not Just for “older adults”
From a systems perspective, the challenges of an aging population cannot be seen in isolation. As Dr. Bowen explained, aging and dying are normal stages in a life cycle, but they have become a significant “problem to the total of society.” This is because we are an interconnected emotional system. Back in the 1970’s Dr. Bowen discussed the following. Just as a poorly differentiated mother can hold her child in a state of over-attachment, preventing them from maturing, a poorly differentiated society can create conditions that facilitate dysfunction in its aging members.
The problems we see, the need for long-term care, the demand for home services, the prevalence of chronic illness, and the increased demand for medical service re could be presented as issues with “older adults.” However, this view does not see “the problems” as symptoms of a larger system level process. It is society that is playing a “reciprocal role” in perpetuating this dysfunction. By focusing on symptoms and trying to “fix” older-adults-problem, we are replicating the same process that creates problems in families. We treat the aging population as a separate entity rather than an integral part of a multi-generational system. Families, in response to the stressors that aging members create, will reactivity want “government” to “fix the problem”.
Who doesn’t already know that we as humans, age. Are we planning for the trends in aging as a family and as a society thoughtfully? Or are we avoiding tough conversations and choices in the present because it’s easier, for the time being.
The Role of Anxiety and Scapegoating
Bowen theory suggests that chronic anxiety and increased stressors in a system leads to emotional reactivity. Anxiety related to an older population stems from the shifts in demographics, economics, and attitudes. What Dr. Bowen observed, is when anxiety becomes too great, those most anxious seeks to reduce the tension by scapegoating a vulnerable group.
The aging population, as Dr. Bowen pointed out, is at risk of becoming this scapegoat. They are the ones we blame for the rising cost of healthcare, the strain on pensions, and the labour shortages. This is a reactive and emotional response rather than a logical and systems-based one. We are essentially doing to older adults what some parents do to in their familie. Parents, out of anxiety, will project their own unresolved issues and anxieties onto one or more children, usually the most venerable. This cycle is self-perpetuating: the more we focus on “fixing” older adults as a problem, the more dysfunctional they become, and the more intense our focus on them grows.
Aging and Families – A Systems Perspective
The challenge, therefore, is not simply to address the logistical problems of an aging population. The deeper work lies in recognizing that this is a “total family problem.” We must shift from a mindset of a problem that needs fixing to a process that needs more thoughtful management. To truly support our aging parents, siblings and partners, we must first address our own anxiety. At a family and society level we want to reduce the emotional “reactiveness” in our social discourse. We need to acknowledge that the health of one generation is inextricably linked to the health of all the others. This begins with seeing aging not as a problem to be fixed, but as a normal, and vital, stage in the life of our collective family. From a systems perspective, working on one’s level of differentiation and responsible functioning will help!
Thank you for your interest in systems.
Dave Galloway
dave.galloway@livingsystems.ca
CHECK OUT OUR CONFERENCE ON AGING HERE
