Upcoming Events/News

FREE - EXPLORE THE SHOW CASE OF SERVICES for Seniors and their Caregivers - Over 35 Organizations and Businesses Sharing Information on Services, Programs & Products

Friday, October 23, 2009 - LION’S COMMUNITY CENTRE
157 Elgin Street East, Cobourg
 

10:00 pm - 3:00 pm 

Keynote Speaker: Alec Dewdney - Body Builder  "Being the Best You Can Be At Any Age"

Northumberland Elder Abuse Response Network (NEARN) Receives a Safer and Vital Communities Grant, Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services

The Northumberland Elder Abuse Response Network (NEARN) has been awarded a $15,525 grant by the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services. The grant will be used to fund a number of activities in the community that will enable NEARN to respond to its mandate including: 

• Hosting an educational forum for older adults
• Producing educational programs and materials
• Developing a number of initatives that will encourage "closing the gap" between older adults and students

These and other programs will raise the awareness and reduce the prevalence of elder abuse, creating a safer community for older adults.

Northumberland Elder Abuse Response Network (NEARN) Receives a one time grant from the Ontario Seniors’ Secretariat.

The Northumberland Elder Abuse Response Network (NEARN) has been awarded a $3,000 grant by the Ontario Seniors’ Secretariat to assist with start up costs associated with the founding of the Network.

McGuinty Government Continues To Improve Services For Seniors

Seniors Getting Better Access To Services And More Protection Against Fraud And Abuse

TORONTO - The McGuinty government is improving services for seniors by putting in place new safeguards against fraud and abuse and providing more services that enhance quality of life, Minister Responsible for Seniors Jim Bradley said today.

 
“Our government is committed to making sure that seniors can live in safety, with respect and independence,” said Bradley. “That is why we are making sure that seniors know their rights, have access to the programs and services they need, and are protected from abuse and neglect.”

The government recently introduced some of the toughest consumer protection measures in the world to help groups such as seniors who are often the target of fraudsters. These measures include:

• Increasing fines for real estate fraud to $50,000 from $1,000 and making it clear that a property will not be as a result of the registration of a falsified mortgage, fraudulent sale or a counterfeit power of attorney
• Combating identify theft by giving consumers the right to have fraud alerts placed on their credit report to help stop identity thieves from using their personal information to commit fraud.

The government is also investing more than $1.6 million over the next two years to combat elder abuse, and has given another $453,000 to 55 front-line organizations across the province to help them respond to this issue.
 “Our government will not tolerate the abuse or neglect of seniors,” said Bradley.  “That is why we are working with community partners to intervene now to prevent and combat this serious problem.”

The government is also expanding access to its award-winning Seniorsinfo.ca website, which gives seniors, their family members and service providers a “one-stop” window showing all programs and services available to seniors in their community from all levels of government. Twenty-two municipalities joined this innovative Internet program last year. 

Other McGuinty government initiatives to support Ontario’s seniors include:   

• Ontario´s Wait-Time Strategy which has resulted in a 41 percent reduction in wait times for cataract surgery; 30 percent reduction for knee replacements; 16 percent reduction for cancer surgery
• Passing a law giving Ontarians the freedom to choose to retire or not at the age of 65
• Investing $175,000 in a series of province-wide seminars on topics such as falls provention and the safe use of medication for seniors,
• Providing $100,000 to the Older Persons Mental Health and Addiction Network to increase awareness of the issues facing older persons living with mental illness and addictions.

“Our government recognizes and respects the significant contributions Ontario seniors have made, and continue to make, to their families, communities and the province,” said Bradley.  “We are committed to working hard to meet the changing needs of today’s seniors.”

Ontario has long been at the forefront of the battle to end elder abuse, and was the first province in Canada to implement a provincial strategy to address this issue.

Through the Federal/Provincial/Territorial governments’ Working Group on Safety & Security for Seniors, promotional materials have been produced for use by all jurisdictions across Canada. The goal is to shed light on this issue and do what we can to allow seniors to live safely, with dignity and independence in their community.

Promotional materials include a poster, fact sheets, a folder, a magnet and a sticker. To view and download these materials, visit. In addition, if you are interested in producing these materials for your own community´s local use this year or for other events and need the production files, please contact Charmaine Spencer by email at cspencer@shaw.ca or phone (604) 291-5047 to leave a message.

The Canadian Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse is encouraging jurisdictions to support this initiative and more information on activities and events across Canada is available by visiting www.cnpea.ca.