The following article is reposted with permission of OTTAWACARP
| President’s Message Welcome to the October Boomer Angle Newsletter. Over the last 18 months Canadians have shown great resiliency in how they personally managed throughout the worst Pandemic this generation has seen and experienced. Unfortunately, too many seniors were lost during this period and we all collectively grieve for them and their families.In September, we experienced a Federal election that many people said was not needed. And there was only a slight change in the number of seats that each party received overall. We were pleased to be associated with NAFR (National Association of Federal Retirees) and COA (Ottawa Council On Aging) in hosting eight All-Candidate meetings throughout Ottawa and we believe that many of our major advocacy demands were heard. One Conservative and seven Liberal Members of Parliament were elected in Ottawa, and we have spent time reaching out to them to first to congratulate them, but more importantly reminding them about the key priorities for Seniors going forward.We have had to do our business and meetings socially in quite different ways. However, we do see a ray of hope as we come to the end of this period in our lives. To this end, CARP Ottawa and the Board of Directors have collectively agreed to continue our on-line virtual presentations for the remainder of this year. We have organized a number of exciting and informative Zoom webinars starting with AIM Fitness for Seniors, Advanced Care Planning with Compassionate Ottawa, Fall Prevention Month in November, and the Ontario Caregivers Association plus a few more in the planning stages to be announced shortly. I encourage you to stay tuned through our newsletter, our Facebook site and the various e-blasts that are sent out periodically. We concluded a member’s survey earlier in the summer and priorities such as Travel, Health and Fitness came out on top, so it will be our goal to further plan with these themes in mind. In association with CARP National, we are reaching out to our numerous Not-For-Profit organizations for special membership packages. If you are aware of any groups that you feel would benefit from the benefits and services provided, please reach out to us. Our key advocacy projects on Long-Term Care and Fall Prevention are top of mind right now and we are advocating strongly with many partners across Ontario as we prepare for a Provincial election where it is imperative that we Make a Difference to serve our Seniors in the very best way.I want to encourage you to read our newsletter to see the excellent articles written on the making of An Age-Friendly Community and PAL Ottawa. This is a fitting example of the care and compassion our community stands for and leads the country in several ways. Speaking of leading, I had the privilege of being part of a fabulous presentation hosted by Compassionate Ottawa and our guest, His Excellency David Johnston, former Governor-General of Canada who spoke eloquently about caring and compassion for others. This is a splendid example of how CARP works closely with our collaborative organizations in Ottawa.As always, please feel free to reach out to myself or other Board Members, so we can continue to grow and serve you better.ottawa@carp.ca, CARPOttawa@boomerangle.ca. Rick Baker President CARP Ottawa   If I Had a Million Dollars…The Barenaked Ladies scored big time with their hit ‘If I had a million dollars’. And they are, well, rich. But the average performer, artist, musician, costume designer or set designer over the age of 55, makes a little over $18,000 a year. That’s why housing options for all artists and art workers, like PAL are so important. “We’re thrilled that there will be a PAL in Ottawa,” says Peter Haworth, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Ottawa PAL. “Ottawa Community Housing and Hobin Architects have been great about moving this development forward.” The PAL in Ottawa will be located near Rochester Street, just south of Gladstone as part of the new development being built. The move-in date for 80 apartments is in 2024. “PAL will definitely be a valuable part of the community,” says Haworth. “We’re in the early design stage for the Creative Spaces to give the residents the kind of flexible space which might allow for concerts, art exhibits and other performances. But we’re going to leave the decision about the spaces to the actual people who will live at PAL.” Haworth says that the PAL Board knows how important the arts are to the community. “In our economically dominated times, I happen to believe that culture is a gift to future generations who will appreciate our artistic achievements, and not whether or not we were rich.”She’s a Juno Award winner, a six-time Canadian Folk Music Award winner – as well as 2019 – and not only a singer-songwriter but a record producer, teacher, and public speaker. But as Lynn Miles says – “people who spend their lives in the arts have no safety net. That’s why I put my name on the list to live at PAL once it’s built. It will be affordable for me and for so many others in the arts community.” Miles says the public perception of you’re on stage, so you must be successful is just such a myth. “I know people look at performers and think that they’ve got it together and therefore must be doing well and making money. But for 95% of us, that’s just not the case.” And she says that COVID-19 has been devastating for the arts. Miles spent a year on the PAL board and provided valuable input from a performing artists perspective. “I think it’s great we’re getting a PAL in Ottawa,” says Miles. “Housing for anyone involved in the arts is always an issue. And with the performing spaces at PAL, we can make the arts a really viable part of the community.”Find out more about PAL. Visit www.palottawa.org and help support your local arts community with a charitable donation. Lynn Miles – Canadian Folk Music Award Winner  The Making of an Age-Friendly Community  For Seniors Watch of Old Ottawa South (SWOOS), it started with walkability issues, especially in the wintertime. “We got involved with the Council on Aging’s Snow Mole program,” says Anna Cuylits, “and quickly realized that there were many things in our community that weren’t age-friendly.” It wasn’t just walkability but the lack of housing options and the absence of any primary health care physicians in the neighbourhood that concerned Cuylits, along with Terry Hunsley and Carolyn Inch. “So, we came up with the idea of doing a survey and making Old Ottawa South a model age-friendly community.”Housing is a big issue for just about every community across the city. And as Hunsley points out, “everyone wants to age in place, but not everyone can do that.” The National Research Council is exploring ways to use technology to keep people in their homes. Using other health professionals to help people age in place should be an option as well. Like using the Para Medics in Renfrew for home visits. “If nothing else, this pandemic has shown us how to use technology,” says Hunsley. “Virtual home visits are the way of the future.” Inch says having a community health nurse with a specialty in geriatrics as part of a team-based care model, would help people stay in their homes longer as well. “We have to get more creative with housing options,” says Inch, “like co-housing or co-op housing that could be provided mortgage financing and organizing assistance much like the federal government did in the 1970’s. And that created a healthy, self-sustained cooperative movement.” She says that the group even looked at the model that PAL Ottawa has put together to provide affordable housing for artists and workers in the arts community 55+. Cuylits, Hunsley and Inch now have ten more members added to SWOOS and the group will be expanding in the very near future. They all believe that creating an age-friendly community is possible. “We want to create a neighbourhood where families can thrive and seniors can stay in the home that they love,” they say. “A community that is age generation friendly for all.”Are you a semi-retired or retired architect, developer, doctor, nurse, primary care specialist or applied science expert? The SWOOS team wants to hear from you.Help build an AGE FRIENDLY COMMUNITY and bring the AGE FRIENDLY MODEL to the next level!Find out more at www.oldottawasouth.ca or email swoos2018@gmail.com. |
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