Community-based seniors-serving organizations from northern Alberta came together in Lac La Biche April 17 for an annual regional gathering, hosted by Healthy Aging Alberta (HAA).
The gathering was the first of 11 that HAA will organize across the province, said HAA community developer Michael Procinsky. Representatives from community groups, government agencies, the private sector, and individual community members attended.
It was more than just a discussion group. Participant input helps guide the planning and implementation of health and support services for older adults, and many of the organizations attending are involved in service delivery.
Procinsky said ideas discussed at least year’s gathering in St. Paul are already being put into practice.
“I think it’s on more people’s minds how essential these services are for our communities. Oftentimes we talk about supporting seniors, we talk about supporting elders in our community, but we don’t always know the avenues or the way to do that best,” he said.
“Regional gatherings help bring forward new ideas, ways that we can support seniors in our community.
“But not only do we support seniors,” Procinsky said, “we look at seniors as assets, as leaders within our community with that community knowledge, those deep leadership skills, and helping to bring seniors to the front so that they’re also leading some of this work and really helping to shape the sector.”
Attendees from communities including St. Paul, Bonnyville, Cold Lake, Athabasca, Plamondon, and elsewhere renewed acquaintances or made new connections. For every challenge that was identified, there were real-life measures discussed that could solve or at least alleviate the problem.
Procinsky is pleased with how the process is working, and says there’s room for it to grow.
“What happens next is further connection,” he said. “We have a lot of new faces with us today, which is really great. This gives me the opportunity to go out to those communities, meet with them one-on-one, explore their programs, talk about what’s going well.
“So that’s one piece of it,” he continued. “I also hope that from this we build more coalitions and committees that are helping to put the work forward.
“So this just really helps to put gas in the machine. It’s what motivates people to keep going. And as we have new fresh ideas, it really helps to push innovation forward when it comes to the older adult sector.”
