Transitioning to a guaranteed annual income and the impact on activities of daily living in older adults: Evidence from public pensions in Canada using the CLSA

Statistically model the likelihood of changes in the activities of daily living (ADLs) over time for three groups of older adults: those on a pension at all time periods, those never on a pension, and those who transition onto a public pension.

Our study used data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA), a large national survey. We used data from baseline (2010–2015) and the first follow-up wave (2015–2018). We used logistic regression to model the likelihood of ADL changes in males and females by pension receipt status, controlling for several potential confounders and allowing for the impact of public pensions to be modified by baseline income.

The magnitudes of the estimates indicated that those who transition to a public pension are less likely to report ADL degradation and more likely to report ADL improvement compared to those with no public pension. In the lowest baseline income group, those who transitioned onto a pension at follow-up had a 15% (male) or 11% (female) lower likelihood of reporting degraded ADL scores compared to those not receiving a pension at follow-up. Those who transitioned onto a pension in the lowest income group were more likely to report an improved ADL score at follow-up.

Our results could provide evidence for the potential health benefits of more comprehensive guaranteed annual income programs beyond the pension program. The penalty of being low-income was mitigated by the stability of the pension income in terms of ADL improvement or degradation.