|
Seniors' needs study held in Kincardine By Liz Dadson |
Feature To Comment on this article Click Here |
|||
 Peter Muschalle (L), Wendy Cox, Marlies Muschalle and Bette Tusz concentrate on the information as it appears on the overhead screen linked to their laptops | ||||
|
A small group of senior citizens and those who work with seniors groups, gathered at the Kincardine Pavilion Thursday (Aug. 26) to provide input into a study of the future needs of those aged 55 and over. Organized by the Bruce Community Futures Development Corporation, the community forum was the final of three, with the other two held in Wiarton and Owen Sound on Aug. 25. The thrust of the session was to gather information about what needs are being met, what needs are not being met, and how seniors' voices and concerns can be heard. It's all part of a major study about the aging population in Bruce County and Owen Sound. Leading the seminar were Amanda Farrell of Bruce Community Futures, Erik Lockhart of the Queen's School of Business in Kingston, and Libby Smith of Millier Dickinson Blais Inc. in Harrowsmith, Ontario.
Erik Lockhart mediates the seminar Smith said besides the three public input sessions, the study included numerous interviews with seniors, some one-on-one and others on the telephone. "It's important for us to know what it means to be a senior in Bruce County," said Smith, "what the issues are, what challenges there are for the future, and how we can address them."
Libby Smith outlines the process Lockhart put the question on the screen, "What needs are being met?" and each participant was able to type in his/her suggestions on a laptop connected to the screen. After a few minutes, Lockhart tallied the results and discussed them with the group. Among the major needs currently being met are:
The next question was, "What needs are not being met?" The top seven results were:
|
 Joan Chamney (L) and Kenneth Craig participate in the seminar  John Makela (L) and Andy Burgess make suggestions One participant noted that there is supportive housing available but it needs to be better promoted. Which led to the next question, "How do we get the voices and concerns of seniors heard?" Some suggestions were:
One point was made that there are different needs for different age groups of seniors, such as activities for those aged 55 to 74 compared to those aged 75 and older. In summary, the major issues are transportation, housing, a full-service hospital, and an elder person centre, as well as the possibility of a seniors advisory committee connected to the municipal councils. Also, awareness of services and programs, and communication are critical. Smith thanked all the participants for their input. If they want to add more ideas, they can send them to Farrell at Bruce Community Futures, by calling 519-396-8141 or toll-free at 1-888-832-2232, by E-mail at brucecfdc@bruce.on.ca or check out the website at www.bruce.on.ca The study will be completed by the end of September and will be presented to the community.
|
|||
|
 for
world news,
books, sports, movies ...Wednesday, September 01, 2010 |
|||
