Providers servicing the senior population on the Sunshine Coast are gathering together at the Spring Elder Care Fair to address the major challenges seniors face as they age in place.
The challenges range from bottom-line issues such as affordable housing and accessible health care to finding reliable home care and the long waiting lists for existing assisted living residences, to practical issues like how to get around town.
A wide range of local private senior services providers, along with community groups like the Better at Home program, will be coming together to provide a hub of more comprehensive, cohesive and accessible services for seniors on the Coast.
Event organizer Laurie Verchomin of Graceful Living In-Home Care describes the Spring Elder Care Fair as the first in a series of community events that will set the stage for a newly formed alliance of providers servicing seniors on the Sunshine Coast.
“By creating a cooperative structure and quality of care standard, this Sunshine Coast Seniors Service Alliance’s mission is to create a new level of consistency of service and care in our community, addressing what are largely believed to be the biggest issues seniors face on the Coast,” Verchomin said.
She said seniors who are isolated and without family nearby to advocate for them need to have a central access point to enter the stream of resources available to them.
“Given the increasing demographic of seniors in need of services and the limited capacity of Vancouver Coastal Health and government-funded programs like Better at Home to service this population – and the onus placed on family and community to fill this gap – something more is clearly required,” she said.
The Spring Elder Care Fair will take place on Saturday, March 12 from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Sechelt Seniors Activity Centre.
For more information, contact Verchomin at [email protected]
