The Award Winning Voice of Seniors throughout the Thompson/ Nicola/Shuswap Districts • Over 32,000 distributed monthly Volume 23, Number 3, July 2014
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Senior Connector
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The Seniors’ Own Newspaper
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Summing up Oncore's inaugural Seniors Symposium
Having a say Active Aging Talk
By Kim Anderson
"Very well done. The topics were informative and stressed being aware of nutrition. They also gave us an idea of where to go for more information." ~ Liz Beeman
CPP Talk "It was very BC Seniors Advocate Presentation "This is exactly what we need! It was awesome and [Isobel Mackenzie] understands the aging process" ~ Alice Brandon
informative. I learned about survivor benefits for children, it was new information for me." ~ Fred Baxter
On June 13, Oncore Central Services and The City of Kamloops presented the Seniors Symposium at the Coast Hotel & Conference Centre. Attendance was outstanding, with 200 attendees registered for the sold-out event. The symposium opened with introductions of MP Cathy McLeod (a member of her constituency represented McLeod), MLA and Minister of Health Terry Lake, MLA and Minister of Transportation Todd Stone, Kamloops Mayor Peter Milobar and Council and an opening prayer by Tk’emlups Band Elder Jo Anne Gottfriedson. Keynote speaker Isobel Mackenzie addressed the audience with a talk outlining her goals and intentions as B.C’s first Seniors Advocate. Mackenzie explained her focus on addressing senior independence, housing, transportation, medical appointments and significantly improving access to the already available resources. She noted how barriers, which keep seniors from accessing these resources need to be
Kim Anderson
BC Seniors Advocate Isobel Mackenzie addresses the symposium audience.
identified and removed. Mackenzie concluded her talk with a poignant statement about the importance of having the community contribution of seniors recognized. “You built this country, won a war, and broke down countless social barriers. We contribute to society.” Attendees could choose to sit in on various talks, which addressed the unique needs of seniors. The talks included: Supporting Our Aging
Loved Ones; Canada Pension Plan and Old Age Security; How to Excel at Active Aging; InvestRight - Be Fraud Aware; It takes a Village to Support a Senior; Personal Safety and You: At home and on the street. All talks featured professionals who had a great breadth of experience in the subject area. Not only did the talks outline the most important points of each topic, most significantly, speakers explained where anyone interested could find more information. Various local businesses and organizations set up informational booths that attendees could visit at their leisure. Some individuals mentioned wishing they had a chance to speak with Isobel Mackenzie directly, in a public forum-style setting. Despite that, the consensus of feedback from attendees was overwhelmingly positive. Relevant current issues for seniors were addressed, and there truly was something for everyone. It served as a meeting point, learning session and discussion grounds for all individuals involved and concerned with the care, well-being and independence of the seniors. See "Symposium Snapshots"...page 2
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