Strategy for Seniors Input Forum

The Board of Directors, staff and volunteers of the The Prince Albert Seniors Advocacy Centre (PASAC) is planning an Input Forum in Prince Albert which will assist to formulate a Province-wide Strategy for Seniors. 

PASAC usually holds Seniors Summits to discuss seniors issues in Prince Albert and area and has decided to replace their regularly scheduled Summit with this Province-wide initiative.
 
This initiative is led by the Saskatchewan Seniors Mechanism, through a grant from New Horizons Canada.  PASAC is a proud supporter organization under the SSM umbrella. 

The event will be held at Plaza 88 on August 9th from 1 pm to 3 pm.
 

Moving Toward a Seniors Strategy for Saskatchewan

In 2016, the number of people in Saskatchewan that were age 65 or over was 177,000 or 15.5% of the population. It is estimated that by 2036 somewhere between 21% and 25% of the Canadian population will be 65 or over.  Many people worry that the increasing percentage of older adults will put greater stress on community resources.  However, older adults are also going to be a resource.  They contribute a tremendous amount of volunteer time to our communities.  They bring a wealth of experience and wisdom.  They are living longer, more active lives, with a greater awareness of the need to maintain a healthy lifestyle.  Whether you see the increasing population of seniors from the perspective of increasing needs or increasing benefits, the real issue for our province and our communities is to plan for this population shift. 

SIGA

SIGA and Northern Lights Casino main sponsors of the 31st PAGC Fine Arts Festival

11h ago

Workplace incident

City of Prince Albert pleads guilty to workplace safety violation, handed fines

12h ago

Lighting it up

P.A.'s Zablocki leads Regina to victory on Day 4 at Esso Cup

Apr 24, 2024

This is the motivation for the Saskatchewan Seniors Mechanism’s Seniors Strategy Project.  The purpose of the project is “To engage older adults and others to develop the framework for a province-wide strategy to provide quality life for Saskatchewan’s aging population”.  It is important to recognize that a Seniors Strategy needs to consider issues related to infrastructure and services as well as the related, but more intangible, things like quality of life and community involvement.  The Seniors Strategy Project will focus on six areas of community life:

• housing
• health care
• transportation
• services
• finances
• meaningful participation in the community

For the most part, governments, community leaders, community organizations and individuals have an understanding of what the problems are when addressing the needs of an aging population.  There are lots of ideas about what we need.  What seems to be most lacking is a plan for how to get there – a Seniors Strategy.  SSM wants to focus the discussion not on what the problems are, but rather how we can create the future we want and need.    

We will present people with a possible ideal picture of what our communities would look like to meet the needs of our aging population.  This includes things like:

• Local community leaders who are sensitive to the needs of all their citizens, regardless of age, sex, health or wealth
• Medical services readily available at little or no cost and in a timely manner, including things such as a national pharmacare plan and primary health care 
• A variety of Home Care services that are accessible and affordable to serve those who want to remain in their own home for as long as possible – medical assistance, personal care, home maintenance, yard work, house cleaning, laundry, meal preparation/delivery, etc.
• Infrastructure supports the participation of all ages and abilities
• Services are available and accessible
• Various means of transportation that are affordable and easily accessible in a timely manner – to get to appointments, to stay connected to family and friends, and to participate in community activities
• Government financial support available to assist with housing costs for those who need to move out of their own home – Personal care Home, Assisted living or Long Term Care – and don’t have the financial resources to afford it
• Basic income sources for older adults (OAS, GIS and CPP) are adjusted and indexed so that those who are on fixed income can meet the ever increasing cost of living; possibly a system of guaranteed income
• Community planning and programming geared to reducing the social isolation of older adults and encouraging intergenerational participation

The question we will be asking people to reflect on is “How do we get to this ideal situation?” – What needs to happen to get us there?What actions need to be taken?Who is best placed to contribute to the transition? What would be some of the enabling factors?

These are questions we will be asking for feedback on at forums, focus groups and through surveys.  SSM wants to give people an opportunity to discuss what the future needs to look like to provide the best possible quality of life for older adults and others in our province.  The information we gather will be collated and shared with governments and with any organizations who might be interested.