The majority of neighbourhoods in North Toronto have a higher proportion of seniors living alone compared to the rest of the Toronto Central LHIN. One neighbourhood in particular, Mount Pleasant West, stands above them all. There, a whopping 58% of seniors live alone.
As part of our continuing portrait series of seniors who live alone in North Toronto, we paid a visit to Ms Palmer, a 93-year old resident of Mount Pleasant West.
In addition to living with a combination of chronic conditions that afflict many seniors at her age, Ms Palmer is slowly losing her eyesight. She has what is known as age-related macular degeneration (AMD). As the name suggests, AMD is an age-related disease that affects 1.5% of Canadians by age 40, but rising to affect a full 25% of the population by age 75. People living with AMD experience gradual loss of central vision, which ultimately affects their ability to read, drive, and perform many other activities of daily living.
And yet, like the other seniors I’ve met in Mount Pleasant West, Ms. Palmer is content with her solo living arrangement and the freedom it affords her.
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