I understand if you don’t sympathize with us, but the liquor store is one destination that presents serious challenges for some seniors and senior boomers. To minimize the number of trips we make to the liquor store (or trailer, depending on the size of your community), we tend to buy in bulk. Stocking up on our bottles of Pinot Grigio and Cabernet means buying at least a case of life’s necessities at a time, which can be difficult to hoist in and out of the shopping cart, then into the back of our vehicle when we’re plagued with bad knees, tricky hips, or a wonky back. While we stock fewer bottles of Canadian Club and Bailey’s Irish Cream than we once did because of the exorbitant price, we wouldn’t want to drop and break precious cargo in the parking lot and blow our entire month’s discretionary pension dollars with one slip of the hand.

In addition to handicapped parking and designated spots for expectant mothers with children, I would like to suggest that a third category—Senior Parking 70+ —be created for those of us who do not require a handicapped space but cannot easily hike to the store from the far, nether regions of giant parking lots. Many seniors and aging boomers have mobility issues that aren’t serious enough to warrant a handicapped permit, but still find it difficult to walk from a remote parking spot to the store, doctor’s office, or mall. At the very least, designated Senior Parking would ensure a safer happy hour for an entire generation. Even though I have a disability parking permit (three hip replacements), I never use it because there are people with far worse mobility issues who need the designated parking spots more than I do.

I know this qualifies as a first-world problem that many would consider unworthy of special treatment, but an entire segment of the population struggles with simple chores that others take for granted. While I am in reasonably good shape compared to many others my age, I now have my groceries delivered to my house rather than using curbside pickup because my 84-year-old husband and I struggled to carry the heavy boxes of groceries from the garage up the steps into the house. With heavy bottles of juice and milk, bags of flour, or cases of iced tea, not to mention our wine supply, we had to unpack the boxes in the trunk and make several trips to carry the individual grocery items into the house. By paying a bit extra (including a nice tip for the driver) to have our order delivered, everything is carried directly into the kitchen, which makes our lives infinitely easier.

Many aging boomers have chronic knee pain, arthritis, degenerating backs, foot problems, and balance issues. While many seniors and boomers still play tennis, golf, pickleball, run marathons, and are generally still in good operating condition, just as many are not. Even walking short distances can be difficult. Our trips to Costco, Shopper’s Drug Mart, the liquor store, restaurants, doctors’ and dentists’ offices, and other destinations would be so much easier if we could access convenient parking. We are not incapacitated, but we would appreciate recognition of increasingly limited physical abilities for some of our contemporaries.

I often see frail seniors pushing their cart or bundle buggy around a grocery store and speculate on how on earth they got there and what other difficulties they encounter in their daily lives. Now that I am one, I find myself so much more sympathetic to seniors’ issues, particularly those who are older and more physically challenged than I am. Who is their advocate? Who helps them cope with the challenges of daily life? Many seniors are alone, single, or without family to lend a hand, and we need to make accommodations to ease their journey through daily life.

I would also like to suggest seats or benches for people waiting for a teller at the bank. Now that banking machines handle most quick transactions like cash withdrawals and deposits, tellers tend to spend more time with individual customers. Lining up for service can take longer than it once did, and a row of chairs or a bench would make the wait more bearable, especially if there are no designated Seniors Parking spots, making to walk to the bank more difficult.

We could start with specially designated parking spots for seniors, alongside handicapped parking close to entrances. A simple sticker for our windshield confirming that we’re over 70, 75, (or whatever), issued by Service Ontario with our driver’s licence renewal could qualify us for accessible parking. Parking lots would not have to be expanded, just re-prioritized so those with younger legs and more flexible body parts would park further out to free up those premium spots closer to the entrance of buildings. Surely, we’ve earned that privilege by virtue of our age and a lifetime of paying taxes and contributing to society. At the very least, it would make Happy Hour happier.

I’m just trying to be a bit proactive here. Are you on board? Do you agree that it might be a good idea to issue a simple seniors’ permit denoting limited mobility? Do you have any other ideas to help seniors navigate life?