I had the opportunity to go to a town hall meeting on Monday, February 10, 2020, at a Senior Center in Vancouver, to hear what seniors in other communities were having. It seems to me that the issue raised would be similar in Port Coquitlam. So here are my notes on the meeting. If you have any feedback about any issues that were not raised but are important to you, use our comments page to let us know what these issues are.
ISSUES RAISED BY THE MP Seniors caregivers and family are going to their MP’s and MLA’s for assistance and needed access to medical services, dental care, and housing. There has been an increase in OAS but only for those over 75 to help some seniors but the MP is advocating for the increase to apply to all seniors aged 65+.
ISSUES RAISED BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENIOR CENTRE There appears to be a downloading of services from Service Canada to Senior Centers who are using volunteers to help seniors with issues with their GIS, Old Age Security, Medical and Disability forms and Income Tax. There is a dramatic increase in the number of homeless seniors in the area, making affordable housing a priority. Vancouver defines affordable rent as $1647.00 a month.
The trend to digitizing services, (finding, using and paying for services) at the local, provincial and federal levels is causing hardship for seniors, who, cannot afford computers, or the Internet or do not have the digital literacy required to use these tools.
ISSUES RAISED BY COSCO (Council of Senior Citizens Organization) Issue of the number of medications being used by seniors and the costs associated with these medications. The issue around who will decide what drugs are available for seniors being left to a committee of Economists and Civil Servants who until asked by COSCO and the Federal Pensioners Association did not consider any issues of medications that seniors might have. The issue of ageism in Healthcare was raised as many talked about the way they are treated by their Healthcare provider. COSCO in their conference in October will be addressing the issue of ageism
ISSUES RAISED BY MOSAIC (MOSAIC is a registered charity serving immigrant, refugee, migrant and mainstream communities in Greater Vancouver and the Fraser Valley.) 41%of all seniors in BC are immigrants according to MOSAIC. These seniors have issues with Language which causes barriers to socialization, integration, getting housing, medical and other services they need. They also are more likely to suffer Elder Abuse
ISSUES RAISED BY SERVICES CANADA Services Canada cannot by regulation help seniors fill out forms they need to access a range of services, they can help by answering questions. This has led to the belief that Services Canada is downloading its work to Senior Centers. Services Canada will come to seniors’ centers to talk to groups about how to best access their services. One hint on getting through on the phone was given if you have to phone any federal government office phone on Wednesday or Thursday after 2:00 if you are in BC. Also, if you get a “Busy signal, dial 10 and you will be put back to the main menu, may save to do these five or six times to get into the cue, but you still have a long wait
ISSUES RAISED BY QUESTIONS FROM SENIORS AT THE MEETING There were issues raised about:
- Isolation
- Access to information about programs
- How do people with dementia can get help?
- Ageism in the healthcare system and the issue of no longer having a yearly medical assessment.
- The disability tax credit,
- OAS and GIS not being tied to inflation,
- Affordable housing
- National Pharmacare and what it would look like and when it might be implemented.
At our Board meeting, staff pointed out that a number of homeless (between 5 and 10) in Port Coquitlam were using the Port Coquitlam Community Center on a regular basis. The staff said they were taking a community approach so when these people show up. This means that the person is talked to and provided with access to other programs as needed. However, if you notice anything amiss, and have any concerns please talk to the staff. We do not want to take a punitive approach to the problems these people face; we want to be supportive and helpful.