Troubling trends in 2011 census: more risk of family disputes, more chance of elder abuse

Statistics on their own can be deceptively boring. Their impact and power come from putting them into context. I've attached an article here from Whaley Estate Litigation that does just that. It gathers together various stats recently released as part of the 2011 census and paints a picture of how Canadian lives and families have changed.

The article reaches the conclusion that the changes in Canadian society have resulted in much more complicated family arrangements. I agree that this is a problem, since so many people still don't get proper wills made. They leave their blended families or same-sex spouse to fend for themselves, often in lengthy, expensive estate litigation, when they could have saved them the trouble by having a good will done.

Another important conclusion reached by the article is that people are living longer, the incidence of dementia is rising, and more fragmented families mean less support for seniors. Nothing is as painful as a family fighting internally over a parent and his or her finances. And few things are as shocking as a senior, all alone in the world, being abused at a care facility.

If you'd like to read more, click here to see the article.