As of July 1, 2024, there were 7,820,121 people in Canada aged 65 years and older which made up approximately 18% of the Canadian population. [1] In addition, after several years of immigration as of 2021, one in four people in Canada (26.5%) were from a racialized population, which was twice the corresponding amount (13.4%) compared to 2001.[2] As a response, legal professionals should strive to meet the unique needs of seniors from diverse backgrounds by providing accessible services curated through relevant knowledge and awareness of their clients’ intersectional backgrounds such as age, gender and ethnicity.
In order to achieve this, here are some factors to consider when addressing cultural competence in elder law that legal professionals should consider when serving their clients.
Firstly, it is important to provide accessible services in the client’s language to ensure they have full understanding of their situation, the lawyer’s services and the lawyer’s fees. Interpretation services can be accessed online through various sources such as: