The Link-Letter March 28, 2014
v. 09-13
For more information click on the links provided.
New items are highlighted.
INDEX
News for Agency Staff here
Events for Agency Staff here
Work Opportunities in the Senior-Serving Sector here
Items for Board Members here
Items for Seniors here
Volunteer/Work Opportunities for Seniors here
ESCC UPDATES
1. The ESCC Nominating Committee is seeking candidates with experience on boards and committees, as well as leadership and communication skills. A legal or human resource background would be an asset. The committee will contact interested individuals and arrange a meeting to answer questions and provide information. We welcome the involvement of your organization and encourage a member of your board, present or past, to consider this invitation. To access the nomination form, go here. The ESCC Nominating Committee Handbook to guide recruitment, election and orientation of new board members is available to your organization upon request.
2. The ESCC’s annual general meeting will be held April 28 at 1:30 p.m. at the Royal Glenora Club, 11160 River Valley Road. To RSVP, contact Katie at 780-423-5635 or email by April 18. Please designate one person from your ESCC member organization to vote on its behalf (others from your organization are welcome to attend). Members will be asked to approve a number of bylaw amendments. Our special guest will be GeriActors & Friends director and University of Alberta drama professor David Barnet speaking on Change the Narrative: Act Up.
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NEWS FOR AGENCY STAFF
1. “Too many people with dementia do not feel a part of their community, nor do they think society is geared up to help them live well. Overwhelmingly, people with dementia lack the confidence to get out in their local area and sadly, a third of people living with dementia leave the house less than once a week. There is a significant role for improving access to transport and for businesses and services to become responsive to the needs of people with dementia.” To read more of Living Well with Dementia in the latest edition of AARP International - The Journal, go here.
2. “Many lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender seniors were part of a generation of trailblazers who changed laws and the way society treats LGBT people.” Now that they're embarking on old age, many are “afraid of being pushed back into the closet in order to get the care and support they need in the senior years.” To read the CBC News article Gay and Grey: LGBT seniors still face stigma, go here.
3. “The World Health Organization Global Network of Age-Friendly Cities and Communities has expanded impressively in a short time. Besides providing real and virtual spaces for sharing resources, the network has positioned itself not only as the guide, but also as the reference, for age-friendly action.” For a summary of age-friendly efforts in the latest edition of AARP International - The Journal, go here.
4. The Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village invites seniors organizations to book tours on Wednesdays in July and August. That’s when it welcomes on-site driving tours, providing “an accessible museum experience for visitors with mobility impairment by allowing their group’s bus or large vehicle access to the historical site. Pre-booked groups have a step-on guide accompany them as they tour the museum grounds and visit with costumed role-players who speak with visitors inside the bus.” For more information, call 780-662-3640, email or go here.
5. The number of people living in the UK aged 100 increased by 73 per cent in the decade preceding 2012, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported earlier this month. “In 2012 there were 13,350 centenarians living in Britain, up from 7,740 in 2002.” To read more from the BBC, go here. In Canada, “the 2011 census enumerated 5,825 people aged 100 years and older, compared to 4,635 in 2006 and 3,795 in 2001.” For more from Statistics Canada, go here.
6. Beginning April 1, Alberta Health Services will use goals of care designations to communicate the focus of care for a patient. For more information, go here. To order free brochures until end of March, email .
7. National Volunteer Week, April 6 to 12, is a time to “recognize, celebrate and thank Canada’s 13.3 million volunteers. To access resources to help your organization plan for NVW, go here.
8. The Government of Alberta wants to find out how people feel about the province’s Employment Standards Code, which “sets minimum standards for hours of work, overtime, minimum wage, general holidays, special leaves, rules for employing young workers, termination pay, and more.” For a Talking About Work discussion guide and survey, as well as more information about how to participate, go here. The deadline for submissions is April 11.
9. The Government of Alberta is providing funding to organizations to put on events for Alberta Culture Days 2014, occurring Sept. 26 to 28. The deadline for applications is April 28. Five feature celebration sites will be awarded a maximum of $20,000 for three days of programming. Host celebration sites will receive up to $5,000 for two days of programming. And 10 organizations hosting a one-day event will receive $500. For grant guideline information, go here. Promotional materials will be available next month.
10. The deadline to apply for Donner Canadian Foundation Awards for Excellence in the Delivery of Social Services is May 30. A total of $60,000 is available to non-profit agencies in seven categories, one of which is services for seniors. For more information and to apply, go here. The Donner awards are a program of The Fraser Institute, which supports “greater choice, less government intervention, and more personal responsibility.”
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EVENTS FOR AGENCY STAFF
1. Lindsay Redman, a Masters student at the University of Alberta, is developing Empower, a smartphone app that provides “strategic tools and resources, and many innovative features that will support the confidence and safety of victims of abuse, while discreetly appearing under the alias of a puzzle game.” The app is expected to be available for free download in July. In order fund development, Redman is hosting a benefit concert and silent auction on March 28 at Avenue Theatre, 9030 – 118 Avenue, from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. Tickets are $12. To purchase them, go here. For more information on Facebook, go here.
2. Volunteer Edmonton is kicking off National Volunteer Week on April 5 with Step Right Up 2014, its fourth annual volunteer fair. The event will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at West Edmonton Mall. Non-profit agencies and registered charities are invited to participate at a cost of $25. “Showcase the great work your organization is doing as well as recruit potential volunteers.” To register, go here. The event is supported by the City of Edmonton, Edmonton NextGen and the mall.
3. The Canadian Association on Gerontology will host a “fireside chat” on Age Friendly Active Transportation on April 10 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The presenters will speak on Why Mobility for Seniors Requires More Than Just Good Transit, Mobility Options Responsive to Aging, and an Age Friendly Transportation Pilot Project in Newfoundland. For more information and to register, go here.
4. The deadline to register for the Canadian Geriatrics Society Annual Scientific Meeting on April 10 to 12 at the Sutton Place Hotel, 10235 - 101 Street, Edmonton, is midnight on April 1. “This meeting is an unparalleled opportunity to keep up with evidence based advances in healthcare for older people. The program is focused on practical multidisciplinary skills as well as state-of-the-art research.” For more information and to register, go here.
5. The Calgary Chamber of Voluntary Organizations presents Connections 2014 on April 14 and 15 at Mount Royal University. The event “brings leaders from the non-profit sector, corporate community and government together to learn from one another and share ideas on how to strengthen our communities.” For updates on speakers, sessions and schedules, go here. The keynote speaker is Amanda Lang, co-host of CBC TV's Lang and O'Leary Exchange. Early bird registration is $250 for CCVO members and $300 for non-members. To register, go here.
6. The Sage Awards honouring the “outstanding achievements and contributions of seniors in our community” will be presented on April 30 from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Sutton Place Hotel, 10235 - 101 Street, Edmonton. Tickets are $65 each. For an event poster, go here. For a ticket order form, go here. The awards luncheon has “sold out in past years so it is advisable to purchase your tickets early.”
7. The Alberta Centre for Active Living’s 2014 Physical Activity Forum will be held May 6 in Edmonton and May 7 in Calgary. Keynote speaker John C. Spence, professor and associate dean in the Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation at the University of Alberta, will address the topic Get Up, Stand Up: A Public Health Perspective on Sedentary Behaviour. The early bird registration ($35) deadline is April 11. Thereafter, registration is $45. To register for the session in Edmonton, go here and for the one in Calgary, go here.
8. Operation Friendship Seniors Society will hold a fundraising dinner and silent auction on May 26 from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Radisson Hotel Edmonton South, 4440 – Gateway Blvd. Tickets are $50 per person. Funds raised will be used for the society’s capital campaign, which is trying to raise $225,000 for four new vehicles. For more information, go here. To purchase tickets, contact Jimmy Morrison at 780-408-2958 or .
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WORK OPPORTUNITIES IN THE SENIOR-SERVING SECTOR
1. No items this week.
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ITEMS FOR BOARD MEMBERS
1. No items this week.
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ITEMS FOR SENIORS
1. Beginning April 1, Alberta Health Services will use goals of care designations to communicate the focus of care for a patient. These will include “direction regarding the acceptance and refusal of life-saving and life-sustaining interventions.” For information, go here. To help you plan your care and have a conversation with family members, go here.
2. SouthWest Edmonton Seniors Association (SWESA) will hold its annual general meeting on April 2 at Yellowbird East Community Centre, 10710 - 19 Avenue. Registration and refreshments at 6:30 p.m., welcoming remarks and meeting at 7 p.m. Guest speaker Michael Walters, Councillor Ward 10, will present a grant cheque from the City of Edmonton. Results of SWESA’s recent needs assessment will be highlighted. For further information, call 587-987-3200.
3. Make Tax Time Pay is partnering with private sector companies to host a one-day free tax filing event, April 4 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The service is intended for low income older adults age 55+ and the aim is to have them file their own returns with support and guidance from a tax expert. To see if you qualify and to book an appointment, go here.
1. National Volunteer Week is April 6 to 12, and Volunteer Canada is encouraging seniors to call its Volunt-Hear Hotline (1-855-372-5077) to join a national conversation about volunteer recognition. Leave a brief impact statement and say thank you to a volunteer for their efforts.
2. Homeless Connect is seeking “clean, gently used or new clothing” for distribution on April 6. The following items are needed for men and women: pants, jeans, new underwear, new socks, shoes, shirts, work boots, hats and toques, gloves and scarves. The deadline to drop off donations is April 3 at the Bissell Thrift Shoppe, 11817 – 80 Street; Hope Mission, 9908 – 106 Avenue, and Bissell Centre, 5120 – 122 Street. For more information, call Amy at 780-944-2979 or email .
3. GeriActors will present a series of free Performance Storytelling workshops for seniors age 55+. “Through theatre games, improvisation, laughter and fun, you’ll share memories, use your imagination, and watch your stories come alive. All abilities welcome. No experience necessary.” The series starts April 7 at Meadowlark Place, 8609 - 161 Street, from 9 to 11:30 a.m.; April 8 at The Churchill Revera, 10015 – 103 Avenue, from 1 to 3:30 p.m.; and April 11 at Kiwanis Place, 10330 - 120 Street, from 1 to 3:30 p.m. To register and obtain more information, call 780-248-1556 or email . To read more about GeriActors, go here.
4. Edmonton Public Library, Stanley A. Milner Branch, hosts a free Enhancing Cultural Understanding Between Newcomer and Aboriginal Communities presentation on First Nations April 10 from 6 to 8 p.m. No registration required. An Intercultural Dialogues Celebration will be held on April 17 from 6 to 8 p.m. at City Hall. For more, go here.
5. Direct Energy and the Alberta Weekly Newspapers Association are accepting nominations for the tenth annual Volunteer Citizen of the Year Award. The winner receives a $1,000 cash prize; $5,000 cash grant for an organization/cause of his/her choice; and recognition through a commemorative award, article and photo to be published in AWNA newspapers across the province. Semi-finalists also receive a cash grant for an organization of their choosing. The deadline for nominations is April 11. For a nomination form, go here.
6. Calder Seniors Drop In Centre will host a fashion show on April 11. Doors open at 10:30 a.m., lunch starts at 12:30 p.m. and the fashion show will follow. Tickets are $10 for members and $14 for non-members. The ticket purchase deadline is April 4. For more information, call 780-451-1925. The centre is located at 12963 - 120 Street, Edmonton.