Independent Living for Seniors - Pilot Project: On December 23rd, we received great news from the federal government’s New Horizon Project. We received funding to initiate a pilot project to expand services for a cluster of 8 to 10 seniors living within an apartment building - some of whom may already be receiving services from the Community Care Access Centre. An
additional apartment will be rented in the same building where seniors may go to socialize and to have an appetizing evening meal cooked on the premise. The project will look at the feasability of having grocery delivery twice a week and establishing a call button system in the
event of an emergency. It is hoped that within the cluster of apartments we can arrange to have at least two rent-geared-to income apartments.

Our application received strong letters of support from the Community Care Access Centre, the
Mayor and Council of the City of Kingston, Honourable John Gerretsen, M.P.P., and Peter Milliken, M.P.. We truly appreciate their support. It is our hope that this type of project can
be multiplied and make a difference to early admission to Long Term Care for many seniors who cannot afford to live in a retirement residence.

We will be setting up a steering committee to guide the project and we would welcome you to submit your name if this project excites you. Please contact Christine McMillan at the Council
office - 613-542-1336 who will be chairing this project.


Optimum Living in Social Housing - Research Study: Sarah Lovell, a Ph. D. candidate at Queen’s, has joined the Council as a Researcher. She is leading this community development study in which tenants in four locations identify the issues they would like to address to improve their quality of life; study the issue and look at the options; and work co-operatively to find acceptable ways of resolving the issues.

Sarah has been supported by a research assistant, Lotte Dinges, through a grant from the United
Way. The funding of her salary for four months has been tremendously helpful and we thank the United Way! We are now seeking longer term funding to support this worthwhile study.


Working with Retirement Residences: For more than a year, we have greatly appreciated the support of the Chartwell Reit Conservatory Pond Retirement Residence. We were pleased when Christine McMillan was asked to speak to a small group representing some of Kingston’s Retirement Residences in early December. Christine has been asked to develop a more in-depth workshop on some of the issues which were discussed at this first meeting. Through this type of community outreach we hope to enhance the quality of life for seniors and to assist the retirement residences in having greater knowledge of community resources.


Presentations to Provincial Consultations:

a) Budget Consultation: Belleville - Tuesday, January 16, 2006

We are currently developing a paper to present to the Consultation Group from the provincial government on this year’s election budget. We are currently looking at the lack of funding for
services to seniors - particularly the non-existing funding for elder abuse prevention service at the community level. Please contact the office at 613-542-1336 and leave your name, if you have a burning issue that we may address with the budget consultation committee. Somebody will call you back!

b) New Long Term Care Act - Bill 140, Consultation - Kingston - Monday, January 22, 2006

The provincial government’s Social Policy Committee is conducting 5 days of hearings on this Bill which has passed second reading before being referred to the Social Policy Committee.
Our Issues and Concerns Committee will shortly be reviewing the Bill and the analysis we have
received from the Ontario Health Coalition. We are scheduled to make a presentation. If you have special expertise or experience in this area and you would like to contribute to this committee, please leave your name at the office, 613-542-1336 in order that we may contact you.

c) Regulating Care in Ontario Retirement Home Industry
Kingston - Wednesday, February 21, 2006 Honourable Jim Bradley, Ontario’s Minister Responsible For Seniors has advised that there will be 13 consultation workshops in cities across Ontario and invites participation of seniors and retirement home operators.

There is a questionnaire on the internet at www.rhconsultations.ca that you can complete or you may decide to bring the questionnaire to the consultation workshop in Kingston on February 21. If you are not on the internet, please contact the Council’s office at 613-542-1336 and arrange to pick up a hard copy.

If you want to attend the workshop you must contact Erin Moody at the Ontario Seniors’ Secretariat. Her number is 416-326-1945 or, if possible, e-mail her at rhconsultations@ontario.ca

If you would like to attend a pre-meeting workshop at the Council, please leave your name at our office and we will get back to you - if there is sufficient interest.

Office Hours:

Current hours of operation for the COA office are 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday inclusive. Please drop by and meet the dedicated volunteers who man the telephones and try to assist with the issues of aging.

Volunteers:

It’s a new year and we are seeking committed volunteers:

• Are you interested in becoming a peer support worker?
   Time commitment: four hours a week following training;

• We have some great fund raising plans for 2007 but we will need help. We keep hearing about building renovations gone wrong and we are well on the way to bringing some experts to help prevent more sorrow for more seniors!

• Mumble to yourself after reading the paper about an issue that impacts on seniors?
  Live in the rural area and want someone to begin to work on your local issues?
  Our Issues and Concerns Committee is just the place to study the issue, develop recommendations to the decision makers at all levels of government and be part of the solution.

If you are interested in becoming a peer support worker, helping with our fund raising plans, would like to become part of our Issues and Concerns Committee, or would like to lend a hand in some other way, then please call 613-542-1336 or send your resume care of Brian Brophy, President , Council on Aging, 230 Brock Street, Kingston, Ontario K7L 1S4.
 

• Board of Directors;
• Membership Committee
• Community Development Committee;
• Resource Development Committee; and
• Publicity Committee.

We are also searching for volunteers to help with bingo once a month and other special events.

Please call us at 613 542 1336 for more detailed information.