|
 |
Current Issue
Table of Contents
+ Director's Welcome
+ Seniors not on the go?
+ Interview with a volunteer driver
+ Christmas Bureau: Family Profile
+ Sponsor: Training Innovations
Director's Welcome
> back to the top
Seniors not on the go
Most of us have places to go and people to see. But do all Canadians have the same opportunities to pursue daily activities?
A study by Statistics Canada suggests that a portion of seniors have absolutely no access to transportation, which may lead to limitations on their day-to day living. The study analyzed Canadian seniors’ access to a vehicle, public transit, or the help of a family or friend to travel.
It was found that the seniors who were most vulnerable to having no access to transportation included senior women, seniors with low-income, and seniors living in rural areas. These groups account for 6% of seniors across Canada.
Without transportation they experience difficulty accessing community and medical services and are at a higher risk for social isolation.
In fact, there is a 49% chance that these seniors will stay home on a day-to-day basis and as a result, miss out on activities that lead to a healthy and fulfilling life.
In addition, 14% of seniors had access only to public transit, and 9% of seniors had access to a vehicle only as a passenger. Seniors with a valid driver’s license and a vehicle were the most likely to travel on a daily basis.
> back to the top
Interview with a volunteer driver
Margaret had always known that she would find a way to give back to her local community in retirement.
It was about eight years ago when she retired from a managerial position at Telus and was in search of the right volunteer opportunity for her. She describes becoming involved with Burnaby Seniors' Transportation as something that was meant to be.
One morning she simply opened up a local newspaper and saw an advertisement expressing the need for volunteers to drive local seniors to medical-related appointments.
She had always enjoyed being in the company of seniors so she immediately knew that it was the opportunity that she had been looking for.
Eight years later, Margaret is still an eager volunteer and an advocate for Burnaby Seniors' Transportation.
Margaret favours Burnaby Seniors' Transportation as her volunteer organization of choice because of the flexibility it offers. She says, “I am able to choose when I volunteer, so that I can work around the rest of my busy schedule. And I also know that if I’m not available for a drive one day, [Burnaby Community Connections] will find someone else for the senior”.
According to Margaret, one of the benefits to seniors participating in the service is that they become friends with the driver.
She emphasizes that for some seniors, driving to a medical appointment with a driver may be the only social contact they have in the day.
When asked about whether Burnaby Seniors' Transportation will remain in her future, she answers: “There’s no question about it.” She goes on to say, “It’s such a wonderful service; the seniors are so pleasant, so you really feel like your contributing. And who knows, I might need the service myself sometime in the future”.
In addition to volunteering for Burnaby Seniors' Transportation, Margaret keeps active by gardening regularly and traveling to destinations such as Chile and Australia.
If you are in need of the Burnaby Seniors’ Transportation services, or if you are interested in becoming a volunteer driver, please contact Burnaby Community Connections at 604-299-5778 ext 23.
> back to the top
Burnaby Christmas Bureau: Family Profile
The Christmas season is always a stressful time for everyone, be it buying presents for loved ones or planning out recipes for Christmas dinners.
For Barbara Hall, this time of the year is especially trying. Apart from worrying about presents and dinners, she must also tend to the needs of her children while managing her finances.
A single mother of four, Barbara is unemployed and is relying on income assistance to cover for her everyday and medical expenses for her daughter.
While two of her children are “all grown up”, Barbara still looks after her other two young children, Paige and Chase.
Her youngest, Paige, aged one and a half, is diagnosed with m-cmtc, a rare syndrome characterized by a large head, elasticity in arms and legs, and a floppy voice box.
Despite all that, Paige is always happy. “She has a good personality, and she’s a very social person,” says Barbara. Paige’s rare syndrome keeps Barbara at home and she has “so many doctors appointments that [she’s] always broke”.
So she turned to the Burnaby Christmas Bureau for help, and for the last two years, her family has been sponsored.
Although she was with Paige in the hospital last year, Barbara and her family were able to enjoy a wonderful Christmas with the generous help of her sponsors. Young Chase, then two years old, received products from LeapFrog, a learning aid for speech therapy.
“Paige would love a personal DVD player because s he loves watching movies and cartoon. Barney and Doodlebops are some of the cartoons she watches,” says Barbara in response to the possible presents her daughter would like.
“[The Burnaby Christmas Bureau] is for the kids who can’t get presents from their parents,” replied Barbara in reflection of the work of the Burnaby Christmas Bureau and the donors. The Burnaby Christmas Bureau reaches out to families with low-income especially those who cannot return to work, like in the case of Barbara Hall.
> back to the top
Sponsor: Training Innovations
Every Christmas, Burnaby families with low-income from Burnaby are provided with toys and gift certificates so that they can enjoy a holiday filled with warmth and laughter.
Training Innovations has been sponsoring families for the last three years. Just last year, they sponsored a single parent family with two teenagers and donated close to $350. Further, each of these years, the staff personally delivered the gifts and hamper, which has always proved to be a rewarding and exciting experience for them.
As the staff at Training Innovations feel that it is a great opportunity to help the local community, they have established the Burnaby Christmas Bureau as one of their annual fundraisers. Raising money to help the family has always been fun and innovative for members of the staff. Holding bake sales and silent auctions are just some of the many creative ways to fundraise.
Having the chance to build team spirit, bring a bit of holidays into their working lives, and impact the lives of Burnaby families is what motivates the staff at Training Innovations to be a sponsor every year.
Training Innovations has over 14 years of history, addressing the career development needs of individuals, and human capital challenges of employers.
For individuals, they offer programs such as the Burnaby Employment Resource Centre (ERC), Career e-Volutions, Howe Sound ERC and IMMPowerBC.
For employers, programs such as e-Career Development, Workplace Learning, Instructional Design and Presentations & Keynotes are offered.
As these programs are provincially and federally funded, it is of no cost to individuals and employers seeking help with Training Innovations.
For more information about these career management services, contact Training Innovations at 604-298-4720.
If you want to find out more about the Burnaby Christmas Bureau, please contact Burnaby Community Connections at 604-299-5778 ext. 28.
> back to the top
|
