BC Seniors Advocate - Promoting the wellbeing of seniors in B.C.

B.C.’s seniors’ population is growing and people are living longer, putting increasing pressure on government services in health care, housing, income supports, community supports and transportation. Seniors Advocate Dan Levitt will provide an overview of the work of the Office of the Seniors Advocate, including its role in monitoring seniors’ issues and services and advocating for seniors and caregivers. He will highlight key issues facing older adults and recommendations for improving services, as well as discuss how seniors contribute to the wellbeing of their community. 

Bio for Dan Levitt, BC Seniors Advocate. 

Dan Levitt has tirelessly championed the rights of seniors for 30 years at the provincial, national and international levels.Prior to his appointment as B.C.’s Seniors Advocate, Dan held leadership positions in senior-living and long-term care homes in the Lower Mainland for more than ten years where he helped shape a dementia-friendly future for seniors and their loved ones.He was an adjunct professor of gerontology at both Simon Fraser University and a former sessional instructor at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. He has also been a surveyor with Accreditation Canada, reviewing quality improvement and person-centred care at long-term care homes and community-based service providers across the country.He is a certified health executive with the Canadian College of Health Leaders and achieved Fellowship status in the college in July 2024. He also received the Young Executive Award presented by the BC Lower Mainland Chapter Executive of the Canadian College of Health Leaders. On the global stage, Levitt recently served as a member of the board of directors of the Global Ageing Network and the International Federation on Ageing.Dan earned an undergraduate degree from the UBC and masters degree from the University of North Texas, Center for Studies in Aging. He has served on the board of directors for the Denominational Health Association and the Alzheimer Society of British Columbia. He is inspired by the aging journeys of his grandparents and great-grandparents, and is now supporting his parents, who are living life to the fullest in their mid-80s.