The Link-Letter May 3, 2013
v. 8-18
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. Staff and board members of ESCC member agencies are invited to come to the Ital-Canadian Seniors Centre on May 15 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. to hear presentations from the Core Services Working Groups. They have been busy looking for ways to coordinate services for seniors in the area of 1) Snow Removal/Yard Maintenance 2) Health Information and 3) Telephone Line for Information and Referral. Please RSVP to and alert us to any dietary issues you may have. The deadline to RSVP is May 13 so that we can communicate numbers to the centre for food. We encourage all agencies to send representatives to this session, as the working groups are looking for support and input. Go here for the meeting agenda.
Top of document
NEWS FOR AGENCY STAFF
1. Edmonton West Primary Care Network now lists program information for patients on its website. Service providers who would like their programs listed are asked to send information to . “We also have lots of free workshops that our multidisciplinary staff put on that anyone in the community can register for” here. To check out the resources already listed, go here.
2. “Alberta Health Services is considering a plan to temporarily move seniors out of hospitals into continuing care homes within a 100-kilometre radius of their preferred facility. The first-available bed policy is meant to free up acute-care spaces.” To read more of the CBC News story First Available Bed Policy Considered for Seniors, go here.
3. “Walk to decrease tension, improve your mood, keep you energized and boost your self-confidence. Developed by the University of Alberta's Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation, and funded by Alberta Health, UWALK is an initiative that encourages more Albertans to get walking. One of UWALK's first exciting steps is a pilot pedometer loan program, offered through the Edmonton Public Library's downtown Stanley A. Milner branch.” For more information, go here.
4. “The importance of physical activity for older adults is now undisputed, including the physiological, psychological, and social benefits and its impact on maintaining mobility and independence. Given the innumerable benefits of physical activity for the adult population, significant emphasis should be focused on physical activity promotion for this population.” To read more of Physical Activity Promotion for Older Adults: A Step-by-Step Guide, go here.
5. A report published recently by the Canadian Institute for Health Information shows that “45 per cent of terminal cancer patients still die in acute-care hospital beds, even though the vast majority would prefer to spend their final days in more intimate settings”. To read the Globe and Mail article Work Needed to Improve End of Life Care, Report Suggests, go here.
6. “A new vision for the over-60 constituency” that is challenging old stereotypes is “one built on activity, economic contribution, social engagement and living differently”. The Fiscal Times’ blog How Being Age Friendly Can Save the Economy is U.S.-focused but the concepts it deals with are global in reach. To read it, go here.
7. “Many thought leaders now believe that the communities that fare best in the 21st century will be those that both tackle the challenges and embrace the positive possibilities that an aging population creates. The burgeoning movement to create age-friendly communities offers an ideal framework for this effort.” To catch up with what’s happening in the U.S., read Age-Friendly Communities: The Movement to Create Great Places to Grow Up and Grow Old in America by going here.
Top of document
EVENTS FOR AGENCY STAFF
1. The U.S. National Council on Aging and IlluminAge present a free one-hour webinar on May 9 at 11:30 a.m. on How Senior Friendly is Your Website? For more information and to register, go here.
2. The Edmonton Social Return on Investment Learning Group has developed a one-day event to bring together the knowledge and experiences from organizations and practitioners that have utilized SROI in their programs and initiatives. It will be held May 14 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Chateau Louis Hotel and Conference Centre. Registration is $25. For more information and to register, go here.
3. The Alberta Centre for Active Living will hold its annual Physical Activity Forum in Edmonton on May 14 and in Calgary on May 15, from 8:30 a.m. to noon. The event will focus on “physical activity and the aging brain. More generally, it will be about the benefits of physical activity as we age.” For more information, go here. “The forum is designed to meet the information needs of practitioners, not the general public.”
4. Operation Friendship Seniors Society will hold a fundraising dinner and silent auction on May 27 at the Radisson Hotel Edmonton South, 4440 Gateway Boulevard. Doors open at 5 p.m., dinner is at 6 p.m. Tickets are $50 each. To purchase tickets, contact Jimmy Morrison at 780-408-2958. To find out how the proceeds will be used, go here.
5. Participants in Gray for a Day, a peer-to-peer fundraising event that raises money for affordable seniors housing in Edmonton, are asked to raise a minimum of $50. Once that has been accomplished, they will receive a can of gray hair spray. On June 5, GEF Seniors Housing asks that participants “spray their hair gray to raise awareness of seniors in our city”. A flash mob will gather at noon at Sir Winston Churchill Square to help generate public awareness. For more information on how to get involved, go here.
6. GEF Seniors Housing will hold its second Laughing Out Loud comedy night with buyer’s choice raffle on June 7 at Oasis Centre Conferencing and Events, 10930 – 177 Street, Edmonton. Tickets are $75 and include a $30 tax receipt. The event begins at 7 p.m., with “three fantastic comedians set to make you laugh” starting at 8 p.m. “Delicious desserts prepared by our Red Seal Chefs will be served and you have the opportunity to purchase raffle tickets for some great prizes, including a trip for two with WestJet (valued at $2,200).” For tickets, go here.
7. The 2013 theme for Vitalize, Alberta’s Provincial Voluntary Sector Conference, is Recharge Your Power. It will be held June 13 to 15 at the Shaw Conference Centre in Edmonton and will feature keynote speakers Amanda Lindhout and Michael “Pinball” Clemons. For more information about the speakers, go here. To register, go here.
8. Mill Wood Seniors Activity Centre is seeking sponsors for its charity golf tournament on June 14. Funds raised will go toward the centre’s capital campaign. For more information, go here. To register as an individual or as a team to play in the tournament, go here. It will be held at the Eagle Rock Golf Course near Beaumont. The deadline to register is May 13.
9. The University of Alberta will hold its Geriatric Medicine 2013: Successful Healthy Aging Conference on June 15 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Lister Conference Centre. The event is both a meeting for internists, geriatricians, family physicians and allied health professionals, and a course with “workshops and debates covering some of the challenging areas in the clinical management of geriatric patients”. The keynote speaker is Dr. Adrian Wagg, Director of Geriatric Medicine at the U of A. For more information and to register, go here.
10. Make Something Edmonton, an initiative launched on March 21, is planning a free intergenerational event from 12 to 4 p.m. on July 20 in Louise McKinney Park, 9999 Grierson Hill Road. The Slow Flash Mob is intended to replicate the experience of parks in China, many of which are teeming with “people doing tai chi, fan dances, sword dances, singing opera, swing dancing and socializing. Many of the people doing these activities are senior citizens.” For more on the Edmonton event, go here.
11. Calgary Family Services is offering a Conscious Eldering: A New Perspective on Work with Older Adults workshop on Aug. 1 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Al Azhar Shrine Centre, 5225 – 101 Street NW. The presenter is Ron Pevny, who has spent “most of his career devoted to guiding individuals and organizations through transition”. Early bird registration until June 1 is $125. For more information and to register, go here.
12. Jewish Family Services will hold a special event in Edmonton on Sept. 29. My Date with Dr. Ruth: Good Love, Life, Sex and Health for Gen Xers, Boomers and Beyond will, of course, feature Dr. Ruth Westheimer, who is now 84 but still teaching, writing and travelling. “Dr. Ruth Day will provide a unique, entertaining and spicy educational opportunity for adults and seniors in our city,” JFS president Dr. Michael Alpern announced. Tickets are available through Tix on the Square at www.tixonthesquare.ca or 780-420-1757. Those interested in registering as vendors, sponsors or silent auction donors are asked to contact Jewish Family Services at 780-454-1194 or . For more information, go here.
13. Registrations are now open for the Wellness: It’s For Life – 2013 International Wellness Symposium on Oct. 1 and 2 at Lake Louise. The program features leading experts Dr. Richard Wilkinson from the U.K., world-renowned Canadian artist Robert Bateman and technology expert Tod Maffin. For more information, go here.
14. More information about the Tamarack Institute for Community Engagement’s 2013 Communities Collaborating Institute: Accelerating Impact to be held in Edmonton from Oct. 7 to 11 is available by going here. The event is “designed for those who desire new ways to lead, engage and transform their communities and accelerate their collective impact by linking local efforts to provincial, state and national agendas”. For an event brochure, go here.
Top of document
WORK OPPORTUNITIES IN THE SENIOR-SERVING SECTOR
No listings this week.
Top of document
ITEMS FOR BOARD MEMBERS
No items this week.
Top of document
ITEMS FOR SENIORS
1. GeriActors and Friends are offering a free dance workshop on May 8 and a performance and potluck event on May 11 in conjunction with an International Dance Extravaganza with Dance Exchange from Washington, DC. The workshop, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. in the Movement Studio, Room 3-117, University of Alberta Fine Arts Building, will explore the "dance potential of seniors. No experience is necessary. All abilities welcome." The performance and potluck will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. in the Second Playing Space in the Timms Centre for the Arts. Admission is "free if you bring food, otherwise $2". For an information poster, go here. To register, contact David Barnet at 780-492-2472 or .
2. North Edmonton Seniors Association will hold its annual spring flea market on May 11 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information call 780-496-6969.
3. Our Nation on Mission Society will hold a free Mother’s Day dinner on May 12 from 5:30 to 9 p.m. at the Central Lions Seniors Recreation Centre, 11113 – 113 Street, Edmonton. The event will include entertainment, a guest speaker, a “high fashion show” and more. The society’s partners are School as Community Hubs, Action for Healthy Communities, Multicultural Health Brokers Cooperative, Edmonton Multicultural Coalition, and Canadian Models Actors Center. The deadline to RSVP is April 26. For an event poster, go here. For more information, call 780-937-2002 or email .
4. Central Lions Seniors Association’s Mother’s Day Tea on May 13 from 2 to 4 p.m. will feature a comedy show starring Alan Greenwood from Victoria, B.C., as Red Skelton. Tickets are $10 for CLSA members and $15 for non-members. The deadline to purchase tickets is May 6. For more information call 780-496-7369. CLSA is located at 11113 – 113 Street, Edmonton.
5. The North Edmonton Seniors Association Garden Club will hold its annual plant sale on May 15 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Northgate Lions Seniors Recreation Centre, 7524 – 139 Avenue. “Come early as our bedding plants, perennials, tomato plants and more sell quickly.”
6. Learn more about Russian history and politics at MacEwan University during May and June. Minerva Seniors Studies Institute presents a session on Putin on May 21 from 10 a.m. to noon, and a class on the History of the KGB on Wednesdays, May 29 to June 19 from 10 a.m. to noon. To register, go here (for the class) and here (for the session), or call 780-497-5082. The classes are $45.15 each and the session is $21.
7. North Edmonton Seniors Association will hold its first annual Fun Cribbage Club Doubles Tournament on May 25 at the Northgate Lions Seniors Recreation Centre, 7524 – 139 Avenue, Edmonton. The cost to enter is $30 per team (entry fee covers 10 games and lunch). Play will start at 9:30 a.m. “First 70 teams, registered and paid, will be entered.” For an entry form, go here.