Dear Editor:
At a recent forum put on by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) and the B.C. Health Coalition at the Hilton Hotel in Metrotown, titled "System Change for Seniors Care," both the ombudsperson, Kim Carter, and seniors' advocate, Isobel Mackenzie, were the keynote speakers.
The atmosphere in the conference centre was electric, with over 450 people in attendance to hear from the two experts.
Without going into detail, the B.C. Ombudsperson report, with its 176 detailed recommendations, few of which have been acted upon, provides a road map to address the seniors' problems in our home and community care for seniors.
The Ministry of Health, as the steward of our provincial health-care system, has the responsibility to ensure seniors have fair and equal access to services, including accurate information, in order to make informed choices.
Our seniors' advocate, Isobel Mackenzie, was appointed under pressure from both the seniors' organizations and ombudsperson Kim Carter's 2012 critical report on the state of seniors' care in the province.
She referred to the many meetings she has attended with seniors around the province, discussing a wide scope of issues such as health care, transportation, housing, and income support, to name a few, and her commitment to ensuring B.C. deniors have the best possible care and support.
This has to be of some comfort to all seniors in this province needing help. I know it was to me, just knowing that we have a dedicated advocate who thanked the grassroots efforts of people around the province for all they have done to raise the issues and concerns on behalf of the over 700,000 seniors in our province. She seemed to be empowered and enthusiastic, saying it is not a job but a calling in which she has over two decades working with and for seniors.
It will be up to all of us to see that the wind is at Isobel Mackenzie's back to ensure that when her final report and/or recommendations come down, they are acted upon by our representatives in Victoria and, for that matter, Ottawa. Enough is enough. It is time that seniors in this province have the best possible care and support.
How do we in New Westminster express our concerns in a climate in which a recent federal survey of 15,000 seniors found that 34 per cent of seniors 65 and over are at risk of being undernourished, or that an analysis by the Conference Board of Canada states that the poverty rate for seniors in the last 15 years has increased from 2.9 per cent to 6.7 per cent, or a 131 per cent increase? And that figure is climbing.
The Seniors Planning and Action Network (SPAN) is holding a Seniors' Forum, Wednesday, Feb. 25, from 9 a.m. to noon, at the Centennial Lodge in Queen's Park to address Aging in New Westminster: What is Our Future?, featuring Isobel Mackenzie, our seniors' advocate. To attend, register by calling 604-515-1718, or email Mariam Larson at [email protected] .
William Zander, New Westminster
