No one can cheat death, but the longevity of Saskatchewan residents has improved.

According to life expectancy figures released Thursday by Statistics Canada, deaths in the province from 2008 to 2009 dropped to 8,972 from 9,243 - a decrease of 2.9 per cent.

Nationally, the drop in the death rate was less significant - to 238,418 from 238,617 - a change of 0.1 per cent.

In 2008, Saskatchewan had the second-highest standardized death rate of the provinces with 595 deaths per 100,000 people. A year later, that rate dropped to fourth with 574 deaths reported per 100,000 residents.

In keeping with past trends, statistics for 2007 to 2009 show Saskatchewan women were outliving men. The life expectancy at birth for men was 77 years and 82 for women.

As the population continues to grey, the provincial government is mapping out a plan to improve services and access for seniors.

"Seniors have told us that they want to remain at home independently as long as possible, so we're considering ways and doing some work over the next year of looking at how we can assist seniors to do that through some innovative models of care," said Linda Restau, director of continuing care and rehabilitation with the Ministry of Health.

In July, a new seniors personal care home benefit will come into effect to assist lowincome seniors who reside in private personal care homes.

Although most of the people living in long-term care homes are seniors, only five per cent of the province's older crowd reside in publicly funded long-term care facilities.

"We're really interested in looking at and considering, as our aging population grows, to meet their needs and maintain their dignity and assist them to remain at home independently for as long as possible," Restau said.

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Statistics show longevity of Sask. residents improving