Trisha Shanks
Arrow Lakes News
Rural seniors facing the hardships of home care, loneliness and limited transportation options will soon be offered some additional support.
As The Arrow Lakes News reported in December, the United Way’s Better at Home program has chosen the Arrow Lakes communities as a testing ground for their Rural and Remote Pilot Project over the next two years.
Better at Home hopes to determine what the differences are in the needs of hard-to-serve rural locations compared to those in larger centres.
Based on the information collected from the five pilot communities of Invermere, Pender Island, Nakusp (including Arrow Park, Burton, Fauquier and Edgewood), Fraser Lake, and Valemount, the goal is for Better at Home’s rural services to eventually be made available province-wide.
The program is funded by the government of B.C. and delivered by the United Way partnering with Arrow and Slocan Lakes Community Services, pending application finalization and approval. Better at Home is currently offered in more than 60 communities across the province.
Debbie Sharp, Project Coordinator with the Better at Home program, met with a group of 38 local stakeholders on February 16 and from those participants, 12 attended a working meeting on February 18. The meetings were not intended to be an open house for the general public although anyone who expressed a desire to attend was welcome.
In attendance were members from the Health Authority, local non-profits, local government, seniors groups, and private service providers. The summary report compiled from the meetings estimates roughly 817 seniors living within the Arrow Lakes communities as of 2011—more than 25 per cent of the combined population.
It was noted that not all seniors will need these types of services, only some will require subsidies and for some the help will be temporary or just to supplement services already being provided.
The March 2014 Better at Home report showed that the most likely demographic to request BAH services tends to be women living alone between the ages of 75-84.
Specific to this area, the meetings identified some additional needs not offered by the program including firewood assistance, tree pruning and pet care. Transportation, food support and friendly visits for isolated and vulnerable seniors were ranked at the top of the list.
A working group of local stakeholders has been formed and together they will hammer out which services can be provided, by whom and for what cost. The group also decided that fees on a sliding scale will be a key part of the Arrow Lakes Better at Home model. This will help to generate some revenue to enhance and expand the program, and improve some sustainability options. It also helps potential clients to see the service as just that, rather than as charity.
Sharp was impressed with the level of interest in the Arrow Lakes and stated that “the representation from seniors was phenomenal.”
Further information is available at www.betterathome.ca or the Better at Home Provincial Office at 604-268-1312.