OSOYOOS TIMES-June 9, 2010

By Laurena Weninger – Osoyoos Times

“By mid-July, we need to present a made-in-Osoyoos approach to having seniors stay in their homes longer,” said Tracy St. Claire, a campaign development coordinator for the United Way of the Central and South Okanagan/Similkameen.
The United Way is a funding partner for a project called Community Action for Seniors’ Independence (CASI) which is all about finding out what Osoyoos seniors need most.
In October, the CASI team met in Osoyoos for the first time.
They brainstormed about the project, about what seniors need and what is needed in Osoyoos to help seniors live on their own.
On Dec. 10, the same questions about the needs of local seniors were asked at a public meeting and again at a “stakeholders” meeting for those working directly with senior citizens.
The December workshop brought out seniors who are struggling to continue living on their own, as well as representatives from Interior Health, the Osoyoos branch of the Royal Canadian Legion No. 173 and service groups like the Kiwanis Club and the Soroptimists International of Osoyoos.
A survey went out in last week’s issue of the Osoyoos Times to help collect more information for the project, said St. Claire.
The survey asks questions of seniors and caregivers such as “What are the three most difficult things about living independently in your home? What support services have you used? and What assistance do you require right now that would help the most?”
“All of the input will be analyzed,” St. Claire said, adding that a community coordinator named Esther Kubryn has been hired to lead a working group that will use the information collected through the survey to find a “lead agency” in Osoyoos to carry on with the project.
The working group will be made up of Cindy Kennedy, Donna Kelso, Michael Ryan, Wally Murphy, Naga Terada, Bob Bedient and Claudia Sauder.
According to the project’s coordinators, it is important to allow seniors to remain in their homes as long as possible because it lowers the “human costs” of giving up familiar faces, places and supports.
It postpones the higher costs of institutional care, as well.
But senior citizens who live alone still need help.
That can include assistance with home repairs, housekeeping, meal preparation and transportation.
Three main priority areas will be nailed down through the project.
“We already know transportation is a key issue,” St. Claire said.
Other priorities that were identified at the December meetings included establishing a central agency that seniors and caregivers can contact to find out what services are available and how to access them and a system of respite care for those taking care of spouses or parents who are elderly.
CASI is a partnership between the B.C. Ministry of Healthy Living and Support and the United Way of the Lower Mainland.
It is a three-year project, focused on finding ways to help communities fine-tune their support systems.
There are five pilot communities in B.C. for the project and Osoyoos was chosen to represent B.C.’s Interior.
For now, there is a paid coordinator and funding for the project, but in the long run it will have to be self-sustainable.
“The whole idea is to get something up that’s working and make it self-sufficient,” she said.
There will be some funding available for the project in the fall from the United Way and the ministry, St. Claire said.
That funding could be as much as $130,000 for the Osoyoos area.
Completed surveys must be dropped off at Super Valu, Stedman’s V&S Department Store or Buy Low by June 9.
They can also be mailed to: OSCA, PO Box 828, Osoyoos, B.C., V0H 1V0.
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