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ESCC Updates November 2017
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ESCC contributes to Vital Signs 2017 .
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This year’s Edmonton Vital Signs report, the annual check-up produced by the Edmonton Community Foundation in partnership with the Edmonton Social Planning Council, focuses on the issue of belonging and community members at risk of social isolation. This emphasis on belonging dovetails with ESCC’s work on addressing social isolation of seniors.
As a member of the 2017 Vital Signs Advisory Committee, ESCC helped to determine how to define belonging, identified key areas of research and provided input on the experiences and challenges for seniors. We also contributed data from research conducted as part of our work with the Pan-Edmonton Group Addressing Social Isolation of Seniors which reported on seniors’ participation in meaningful activities and feelings of connectedness.
We encourage you to read Vital Signs 2017. If you’d like paper copies of the report, contact Janelle at janelle@seniorscouncil.net.
The Edmonton Community Foundation also provides grants to address the theme of the Vital Signs report. This year applications are being accepted for initiatives designed to increase the sense of belonging to community. Priority will be given to projects serving people with a high risk of social isolation as identified in the report (those living in poverty, new Canadians, Indigenous people, people with disabilities, seniors, and LGBTQ people), especially initiatives that address intersectionality.
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Helping seniors make the best connection .
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It’s common knowledge to call 911 to reach emergency services, but do you know what service you get connected to when you call 211, 311, 411, 511 or 811?
A new resource developed by ESCC helps seniors connect with the appropriate service for their needs.
ESCC has produced a large postcard (5.5 x 8.5 inches) that outlines the information seniors can get when they call these key information phone numbers.
If you would like copies of the postcard to distribute to the seniors you support, contact Janelle at janelle@seniorscouncil.net. You can also download a PDF copy (8.5 x 11 inches).
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ESCC Seasonal Gathering: Belonging and Seniors .
A forum to explore the sense of belonging that senior members of our community experience
November 30, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Ital-Canadian Senior Centre (9111 110 Ave.)
Using this year’s Vital Signs report as a starting point, this forum will explore avenues of belonging in the seniors’ community. We will hear presentations from community members reflecting on this theme from the perspective of immigrant and refugee seniors and Indigenous seniors. We will learn about an initiative to involve more senior men in programs in Edmonton’s north east and about a facility’s work to be more welcoming and inclusive for LGBTQ seniors.
Please join us for a morning of interesting conversation and networking. Presentations will take place from 9 a.m. to noon and lunch will begin at noon.
RSVP online by November 22.
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Journey map: Social vulnerability may lead to isolation .
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Isolation is a complex issue. There are many things that increase the likelihood of a senior becoming isolated and just as many that can prevent or mitigate it.
A journey map developed for the PEGASIS initiative using information from in-depth interviews with isolated seniors and senior-serving workers illustrates many of these factors.
View the journey map and learn more about the complex factors involved with social vulnerability and isolation.
Thank you to M.A.P.S. (Mapping and Planning Support) for creating the journey map.
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Anatomy of a call to the Seniors Information Phone Line .
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The Seniors Information Phone Line is a free, confidential phone service that seniors, their family members or caregivers can call anytime, 24/7, to find out about supports for seniors. Calls are answered by an Information and Referral Specialist (I&R Specialist) at 211 Edmonton who can refer to a wide range of community, social, health and government services.
We asked 211 Edmonton to outline what happens when someone calls the Seniors Information Phone Line to increase people’s understanding of this valuable service.
The Five Stages of a Call
Stage One: Establish Rapport
Stage Two: Assessment (Needs Assessment and Risk Assessment)
Stage Three: Information and Referral
Stage Four: Advocacy
Stage Five: Follow-Up
Read a detailed description of the five stages.
SIPL helps you help your clients
If you work or volunteer at a human service agency, you may also benefit from the Seniors Information Phone Line. I&R Specialists can reduce the time you spend looking for services for clients, and help ensure your clients receive accurate and appropriate referrals. You can also use the Seniors Information Phone Line as an educational tool if you want to increase your knowledge of available resources. Your agency may wish to list your services in the Seniors Information Phone Line database.
You can reach the Seniors Information Phone Line from any landline or mobile phone within the service area by dialing 2-1-1 and selecting option 2.
Thanks to 211 Edmonton for providing this information.
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What's next for Age Friendly Edmonton .
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As we neared the end of the first five years of implementing the Vision for an Age-Friendly Edmonton Action Plan, it was time to take stock on the 58 actions identified and ask the community what was next for Age Friendly Edmonton (AFE).
Think Tank sessions held in October of 2016 provided some suggestions for priority areas that required more attention: Aging in Place, Intergenerational, Diversity, and Ageism. Potential opportunities in these priority areas were identified by meetings of stakeholders in May of this year. Five public engagement events followed in June and over 200 people provided feedback and suggestions for addressing these priority areas. The public engagement report What We Heard captures highlights of the sessions. Public feedback will be considered as we move forward with the next phase of AFE actions.
A new governance structure of the AFE initiative has been developed to allow for more community involvement in work on each of the priority actions. The City of Edmonton Seniors Team and the ESCC will continue to act as the backbone for this initiative. We have always been challenged by getting the word out about AFE, so communication efforts will be increased in 2018 to encourage more community involvement.
The first five years of AFE has resulted in increased knowledge and awareness in the senior sector through research and training, improved service delivery approaches by providers, and policy and systems change through collaborative efforts. Thank you to everyone who has contributed towards creating a more age-friendly Edmonton! Stay tuned for opportunities to engage in 2018.
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Employee Health Benefit Exploration 2017 .
Earlier this year, ESCC was asked to coordinate discussions with senior centre executive directors to explore options for employee health benefit plans.
At a meeting in June, information was gathered from five centres about their benefit provider, plan coverage and premiums. A suggestion was made to share this information with the other senior centres in Edmonton and inquire what their yearly spending per employee amounts to and who they use as a provider of staff benefits. In late June, these notes were shared with other ESCC senior-serving member Executive Directors and another seven organizations shared their information.
ESCC researched some benefit providers and their products and identified four options which were communicated to all ESCC members in a report at the end of July. The report also indicated which provider each centre currently uses and what their plans include.
Organizations were asked to indicate which option they favoured by early September and whether they were interested in pursuing collective action for health benefits. Six organizations responded but there was no consensus for a direction forward. ESCC would be willing to host a meeting on this topic that could include some presentations by providers if this is something that our members would appreciate. Contact sheila@seniorscouncil.net if your organization would like such a meeting to be organized.
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