25 minute read
Committee Reports 2019 - 2020
RETIRED TEACHERS’
ASSOCIATION OF MANITOBA
Committee Reports 2019 - 2020
ACER-CART
Respectfully submitted by JoAnne Hoyak, Vice President and ACER-CART Director
The priority for ACER-CART for the 2019 - 2020 year was the establishment and emphasis of Seniors’ issues for the 2019 Federal election.
To that end, five issues that were communicated to the parties and their candidates in the run up to voting day and that have remained the priorities of ACER-CART throughout 2019 - 2020 are as follows. 1. Making retirement income more secure—protecting accrued pension benefits, protecting employees and retirees in corporate insolvencies, and strengthening defined benefit plans.
2. Establishing a National Pharmacare program—eliminating disparity in costs and availability, fewer hospitalizations, better medications monitoring, saving money for Canadians.
3. Opposition to privatization of medical services–equal and timely access to quality care for ALL Canadians.
4. Establishing a National Seniors Strategy–Health, quality care, financial security, affordable and appropriate housing, and social inclusion should all be parts of the plan.
5. Endorsing a Canadian Federal Seniors’ Ministry.
Through ACER-CART, RTAM has joined with 150 National and Provincial organizations to forward our goals and their ultimate fruition to the appropriate legislators. This diverse coalition includes health care providers, non- profit organizations, unions, workers, business, seniors and patients from across the country.
These groups have joined in the push for a National Pharmacare program through signing a common letter to Bill Morneau in February and participating in a petition for the government.
They also offer support individually for dealing with provincial issues as well. An example is the submission made by the Coalition For Retirement Security to our government in response to the provincial Pension Act Reform recommendations.
It is a privilege and an asset for RTAM through ACER-CART to have access to these kind of national partnerships, and to be able to rely on them in the future.
Connections to ACER-CART by RTAM are made through provision of reports to the Western Region and the National office, sharing information on local developments and concerns, sending representatives to conferences such as the one the President attended for the Western region meeting in Edmonton in November. Due to Covid19, the National AGM has been canceled and replaced by a teleconference in June, in which the Director will participate.
AGM and Elections Committee
Members: Bill Cann (director), Arlene Billeck (RWTA), Laurel McFarlane (RWTA), Pat Opalko (RWTA), Emily Williamson (RWTA), Lynda Tunny (RWTA)
In keeping with past practise, The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of RTAM alternates between a Winnipeg location and a non-Winnipeg location. The 2020 AGM is being held in Winnipeg at the Holiday Inn Winnipeg Airport West. Due to the Covid 19 pandemic the AGM has been postponed until August 18 and 19 and will still be in the Holiday Inn Winnipeg Airport West.
The Retired Women Teachers Association have volunteered to host this event with the assistance and cooperation of our very capable office staff. Together we have planned several interesting events including a tour of the RTAM website by Gayl Punzalan, our webmaster and KIT publisher, a celebration of Manitoba 150 and RTAM’s 31st year at the Tuesday evening reception and some very interesting guest speakers. We are looking forward to the AGM and the hospitality of the RWTA in August and thank them for their hard work and the great ideas they have shared. The Election process for AGM 2020 is under the oversight of Committee members Joan Dawson and Bill Cann. The Election
Scrutineers will be RWTA members Emily Williamson, Laurel McFarlane and Arlene Billeck.
As is past practise the next AGM will be in a non-Winnipeg location. RTAM is still looking for a Chapter to host the 2022 AGM.
AGM Officers Committee Report
Respectfully submitted by Peggy Prendergast, President, Winnipeg
Members: Peggy Prendergast, Chair, Winnipeg; JoAnne Hoyak, Vice President, McGregor, John Sushelnitsky, Secretary, Portage la Prairie; Pat Bowslaugh, Treasurer, Brandon; Joan Dawson, Past President, Thompson.
The Officers met initially, monthly, prior to RTAM Board meetings and, when needed, on emergent issues. The first of these concerning the Provincial and Federal elections in the fall of 2019 began in Portage la Prairie, in July, where a Postcard with questions for members to ask of candidates for election was finalized from work done previously by the Political Advocacy Committee.
Other emergent issues that arose concerned the hiring of an Executive Director and a new Member Services Coordinator and Executive Assistant following the resignation of Nicole Wellwood. The Officers Committee met to:
• Assist the Board in defining issues of importance to the membership and initiate consideration of other pertinent issues. • Review the Auditor’s Report with the Auditor together with one Director appointed by the Board. • Regularly review the financial reports with the Treasurer and Executive Director.
• Review items related to administration, including staff hiring, staff contract negotiation, finance matters, and any other matters referred to it by the Board for study, report and recommendations.
Following the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in March, the Officers Committee met, mainly weekly, through the use of ZOOM. Computers have been purchased for RTAM Board use. This method of meeting has proven to be quite successful and has kept the Officers abreast of the work necessary during the “work at home” rule that has been established while the office
has been closed to the public. As a result of the use of ZOOM, a Pre-Retirement seminar was held on May 2 in Brandon. RTAM Board meetings in April and May also have been held using ZOOM. Evaluations will be forthcoming as to this method of meeting for ongoing use by the RTAM Board and committees.
It is important to note that the Officers Committee had the assistance of the Executive Director, Gordon Fardoe from January on. He is responsible for the two staff members in the office: the coordination of the services they provide and their evaluations and for assisting RTAM in its quest to become a Governance Board. To that end the Board has also enlisted
the assistance of Rolande Kirouac, a consultant with High ACHIEVEMENT. This process will be described at the RTAM AGM.
Thank you to the members of this committee for their hard work throughout the year.
Benefits Committee
Members: Bill Cann, Winnipeg; Pat Bowslaugh, Brandon; Doreen Sage, Neepawa
Space being at a premium; this report will be brief. Working with our Johnson Team, we arrived at the following Premium rate increases for the 2020/ 21 year beginning April 1st/’20. Note – prices are based on claim numbers, cost of professional services & good negotiating skills. Premiums are paid in Cdn. $ while USA claims are paid in US $: (Questions about your personal plans – call 1-877-989-2600 or email pbservicewest@johnson.ca) • Extended Health Care (Core & Enhanced) – 0% increase • Prestige Travel Plan – 2.9% increase • Medoc Travel Plan – no age restriction ; medical questionaires to fill out ea, yr. Premium to be anounced on September 1st. Travel period is 17 – 35 days. • Life/ Home Insurance - Premiums based on date of purchase.
Discount options on premiums– only 1 discount may be selected: i. opt out of trip cancellation, interuption, delay 20% discount ii. pay $1000 deductible per claim 20% discount iii. pay $5000 deductible per claim 45% discount
*Those members who have the 62 day base plan supplemental coverage will remain on the plan at renewal (April 1st, 2020) If a member wishes to change to the 93 day base plan coverage, he/ she must contact Johnson Inc. by fax, phone or email. The 93 day increase in premium (26%) is cheaper than taking 2 x 15 day supplemental plans. *EHC Plan – has an additioal $100 for vaccinations under the Basic EHC Drug Plan. *Dental Plan – the annual max per member per policy year has gone from $1100 to $1200. The Plan now covers either metal or coloured amalgam fillings. TRIP MERCHANT (TM) – this was meant to be our no. 1 goal this year by partnering with an experienced travel company like TM. TM offers unique travel destinations & travel styles. Our intentions were great! Then along came the covid- 19 virus; hence the March 13 announcement banning all travel in Cda & closing the Border. The good news is that TM still wants members to ‘dream now- travel later’. Check out the
RTAM website or hit the link at http://rtam.tripmerchant.ca The Password is RTAMTM18. Here you will see current offers & opportunities. Membership is required ($36/ yr). TM is also offering 2 free trips in their Air New Zealand contest. Get your e-newsletter today & become aware of the offers. Register at the above email address. It will be worth your time to do so!
Bylaws and Policy Committee
Respectfully submitted by Beth Smith, Chair
CommitteeMembers: Rosalie Bornn, Dauphin; Charles Clifford, Portage la Prairie; Joan Dawson, Thompson; Dorothy Young, Winnipeg; and Beth Smith, Chair, Dauphin
Committee communication and collaboration throughout the year consisted of five committee meetings, with e-mail and phone communication between meetings and amongst members.
The Bylaws and Policy Committee continues to monitor and review the RTAM Bylaws and Policy documents according to the Committee mandate. The Committee has put in place a Respectful Workplace Policy to protect our staff, Board and members. The Committee also worked on updating and expanding the Human Resources Manual. In addition, the Committee dealt with recommendations, additions and updates
of Bylaws and Policy that were referred for consideration by the Board of Directors, through the RTAM committee channels and by Staff. To that end, no Bylaw changes were deemed necessary. Motions of interim Policy already approved by the Board are being brought forward for affirmation by the membership at AGM 2020.
Thank you to the Board of Directors for their valuable input and their support of the Committee. Sincere appreciation is extended to the Bylaws and Policy Committee members for their hard work and efforts throughout the year.
Communications Committee
Members: Ralph Cibula, Chair, Website; Guy Hansen, Chair, Public Relations; Doreen Sage, Chair, Editorial, Joan Dawson, Past President
The Communications Committee is an oversight committee to coordinate and standardize RTAM’s communications in the areas of KIT, Public Relations, and Website. Its membership is composed of the chairs of those three committees. Its work is reflected in the work of the three committees it coordinates.
It also makes general recommendations to the Board. For example the move away from paper usage to electronic media for Board works was a recommendation from the joint meeting the Chairs of the three Committees; KIT, Public Relations and Website. It is also the Committee, working in unison with the three sub Committees that is dealing with the 2018 AGM motion. COVID -19 has altered the way we were able to get our job done. With electronic media at our disposal very soon we will be able operate in a somewhat differing way. Thanks to Doreen Sage, chairperson for KIT and to Guy Hanson, chairperson for Public Relations.
Keep In Touch (KIT)
Respectfully submitted by Doreen Sage, Chair and Editor-in-Chief, Neepawa
Members: Rosalie Bornn, Dauphin; Joan Goble, Thompson; Joan Rink, Brookdale; Beth Smith, Dauphin; William Taylor, Brandon
KIT, the newsletter/magazine of the Retired Teachers’ Association of Manitoba (RTAM), is published four times a year, in full colour.
All material is emailed to the editor from RTAM Committee Chairs, RTAM Chapters, by individual RTAM members and outside sources. This material is then forwarded to KIT committee
members and the President for editing. Final copy is sent to the publisher by the editor. The editor then meets with the publisher for a final edit before copy is sent to the printer. The printer addresses each issue, sorts and delivers product to Canada Post. KIT is also available on the website. Readers can sign up to have their copy delivered digitally, which happens as soon as the print copy is ready. See ad in the most recent issue to request your digital copy.
The photo contest is becoming increasingly popular and we have received some great photos. Thank you to Joan Dawson, Rosalie Bornn and RTAM office for organizing this contest. Check out the new categories.
Membership and Chapters Committee
Respectfully submitted by Linda Scott, Chair
Members: Charles Clifford, Portage la Prairie; Allen Havard, Winnipeg; Esmeralda Havard, Winnipeg
Most of the Membership and Chapters Committee correspondence occurs through e-mail and telephone conversations, but as the need arises, our meetings are held in the afternoon the day after the Board meeting.
Each RTAM Chapter President was sent a welcome letter in the fall of 2019 along with the Guidelines and Application form for the Chapters Initiative Grant, a copy of the RTAM Strategic Plan and updated "Meeting Ideas". The total number of RTAM members, as of March 31, 2018, is 9,814 TRAF members of RTAM and 240 non TRAF members of RTAM for a
total of 10,054 members.
Thirteen Chapter Initiative Grants have been approved as of April 15, 2018. An advertisement was placed in the Manitoba Teacher, January/ February edition to inform active teachers of Pre-Retirement Seminars in Winnipeg and Brandon. Ads were also placed on the RTAM website and in our KIT magazine, as it is distributed to every school in Manitoba. Letters and posters about the seminars were sent to superintendents, principals of the funded independent schools and presidents of the Local Teachers' Associations. The Winnipeg Pre-Retirement Seminar was held in February 2020. There were 96 people in attendance (86 teachers/guests and 10 RTAM volunteers). The topics covered were an overview of RTAM's Voluntary Group Benefit Plans presented by Jessica Simpson of Johnson Insurance, and "Life after Teaching" presented by a panel of retired teachers.
The Brandon Pre Retirement and the Thompson Pre Retirement Seminars were to be held in March 2020 but were postponed because of COVID-19. ZOOM conferences will provide those registered with the required information. An article on Why Join RTAM was submitted for the June edition of the MB Teacher magazine. Thank you to all the committee members for all their hard work and dedication throughout the year.
Pension Committee
Respectfully submitted by Alison Logan, Chair
Members: Bill Cann, Winnipeg; JoAnne Hoyak, MacGregor; Julian Hoyak, MacGregor; Lynn Land, Winnipeg; Laura Skelly, The Pas
Five committee meetings were held during the 2019 - 2020 year. In addition, Jeff Norton and Brad Prokop of TRAF attended one Pension Committee meeting and one RTAM Board meeting in order to share information.
The President, Treasurer, Secretary and Pension Chair attended on behalf of RTAM.
Highlights of the Pension Committee endeavours this year included: 1. Monitoring the status of the joint agreement with MTS and accepted by the TRAF Board as to the dispersal of the restricted surplus. The dispersal has been in place since July 1, 2018 and will continue over 5 years.
2. As of July 1, 2020 COLA will be 1.35%.
3. The Revision of RTAM Nomination Process for TRAF Board
Appointment document which has been included in the AGM package.
4. Action requesting that MTS recognise RTAM as the official voice of retired teachers.
5. Ongoing communication with ACER-CART.
6. Strongly urging the continuation of the traditional meeting(s) with our provincial representatives is recommended. Due to unusual circumstances, (Covid-19 as well as the provincial election) it was not possible this year.
7. The chair wishes to thank the committee members for all their commitment and diligent work.
Political Advocacy
Members: Linda Blair, Winnipeg; Ralph Cibula, Gladstone; Guy Hansen, Winnipeg; JoAnne & Julian Hoyak, MacGregor; Ken Malcolm, Dauphin and John Sushelnitsky, Portage la Prairie
1. Members of the Political Advocacy Committee for 2019 - 20 were Linda Blair (Winnipeg), Ralph Cibula (Gladstone), Guy Hansen (Winnipeg), JoAnne and Julian Hoyak (MacGregor), Ken Malcolm (Dauphin) and John Sushelnitsky (Portage la Prairie). John chaired the Committee.
2. The first activity of the PA Cmt. was to encourage Chapters to mark the United Nations Day of the Older Person on October 1st. It is an event observed throughout the world. Four RTAM chapters reported that they had engaged their communities so as to mark the contributions of seniors. These chapters were Thompson, Dauphin, Portage la Prairie and River East. The first three chapters had their city councils agree to make a city proclamation. One proclamation from a previous year is on display in the RTAM Office.
3. In November the PA Cmt., in collaboration with the Public Relations Committee, marked the annual November 11th Remembrance Day Observance with attendance at the MacGregor High School. RTAM laid a wreath along with the other wreaths that day. The plan is to have a RTAM presence elsewhere in the province , the covid 19 virus pandemic permitting. to meet with the old and new MLAs in April 2020. Extensive planning went into the preparation for this important event following upon the successful Meet and Greets in 2016 and 2018. However, the world wide shut down in March because of the pandemic meant the cancellation of of the Meet and Greet 2020 as well.
5. One of the initiatives of the new provincial government was to have a K-12 Education Review. RTAM asked the PA Cmt.
to follow the developments of that Review. To that end, PA asked Dr. John R.Wiens to give us his take on the possible changes that might be in the offing. He met with us in November and shared his submission to the government Review as well as his articles to the Winnipeg Free Press. His candid and non -partisan observations gave the committee much to consider, and an article based on them was given to KIT, the RTAM quarterly. The recommendations of the Review have not yet been made public.
6. Last year, in line with the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Report and the precedents of the
Manitoba Teachers’ Society and the Manitoba Association of Superintendents, the RTAM Board created a bursary for an Indigenous student of the North. After a one year trial, a motion was passed to make the award of the $ 1,000 bursary an annual RTAM contribution to the University College of the North, situated in The Pas. It is based on the Strategic Plan pillar of improving relations with the community, in this case the Indigenous sector of the Manitoba community. The first recipient is a young lady who is taking courses to become a teacher in the North.
7. Dr. Nigaan Sinclair , a professor at the University of Manitoba and a weekly columnist for the Winnipeg Free Press, was invited to meet with the Cmt. and Board members to give us an update on the current status of Indigenous people in Manitoba. Dr. Sinclair was very engaging and frank in his description of the progress of Indigenous people here, and an article was written for KIT for the wider readership of our membership.
8. Equality for both genders in matters of pay and promotion are of great importance to RTAM. In addition to tracking progress and the lack thereof, a member attended a meeting of WISE (Working in Support of Equality). The topic was (Still) Calling for Justice Redress and Healing Beyond the National Inquiry. The RTAM President also attended the meeting. An article was submitted to KIT.
9. Ongoing topics of concern include the state of our democracy as seen through our voting systems and the increasing disparity in economic wealth in Canadian society.
Our mandate is to study these trends and to make recommendations to the Board when appropriate action should be taken.
Respectfully submitted by Guy Hansen, Chair
Members: Helene Beauchemin, Ken Malcolm, Pat Bowslaugh, John Sushelnitsky
Over the summer/fall, we were with MTS in their 1919 General Strike walk, and their Labor Day parade. We also carried our flag at the Climate Crises Rally. We invited an author, Harriett Zaidman as a lunchtime guest speaker. Harriet, a retired Winnipeg teacher, had family roots going back to the 1919 riot. Her grandpa was there.
Harriett’s book is currently used in Winnipeg schools to highlight the contribution that this 1919 General Strike made for the advancement of workers’ rights in our country. PR highlighted this book in KIT. Early in the year PR knew we must, in some way, recognize Manitoba 150. We chose to compile a small book of Manitoba Teacher Vignettes. Money was available through Manitoba 150. Our grant application was not successful, but the project did not die. We have received several contributions from members, one will be published in this KIT, space permitting. Others will be available on our website. This is too good an idea to leave behind. It is a delightful project. With your help it will grow. On November 11, with the help of Jo Anne Hoyak of MacGregor, we laid a wreath in memory of our fallen servicemen and women.
Public Relations is in the process of publishing a small Reconciliatory book by our Indigenous Award winner from UCN, The Pas. Brie Phillips wrote the book and did the watercolors. Once again our grant application was not successful; in April the board decided that we would publish this book ourselves, and gift a copy to each school library in Manitoba.
Public Relations co-operated with Membership in promoting an RTAM add for the Manitoba Teacher magazine. It is hoped that this will attract new members to our RTAM group as they retire. Last, certainly not least, PR is promoting further visibility of the RTAM name by suggesting changes of Chapter names, each Chapter name to start with the letters RTAM. This is called branding. It has wide acceptance by the Chapter Chairs. It will be brought to our AGM for discussion/decision. It has been an interesting year. Thank you to the committee for their hard work.
Treasurer’s Report
As your treasurer, appointed following the 2019 AGM, I am frequently asked how we finance all the work of RTAM. This is a logical and fair question.
The bulk of our income comes from your membership fee of $3.00 per month or $36.00/year. Over the years our membership has grown to now being over 10 000 members. If we multiply our $3.00 per month by 10 000 we arrive at approximately $30 000/ month or over the twelve month period the amount becomes $360 000/ year. ( We waive fees for people upon reaching the age of ninety.)
It is important to note that we hold $150 000 in reserve currently in GIC investments. Also, our scholarship costs are covered by the interest earned by RTAM’s investment with the Winnipeg Foundation. In addition to our income we also are acknowledged by Johnson,Inc. for the support we provide for our members who participate in our benefits packages. We also appreciate the support from the Teachers‘ Retirement Allowances Fund Board and the Manitoba Teachers’ Society. The next question centres around the need for staffing and office space. The size of your RTAM organization and the complexity of the activities have evolved over the years to where your Board realized that consistent help was really badly needed and that we were in a position of obtaining both permanent office space and staff. Our office uses the SAGE accounting program to record all financial transactions. Following year end all our documents are reviewed by a professional auditor.
In the event that you have any questions please do not hesitate to call our office as our commitment is to serve your needs.
Website Committee
Respectfully submitted by Ralph Cibula, Chair
Members: Jack Fraser, Winnipeg; Wayne Hughes, Winnipeg; Doreen Sage, Neepawa; Joan Dawson, Thompson
Continued effort took place during the course of this year to edit, update and post new materials as was felt to be helpful.
To allow for the update and maintenance of the current website, the Board approved the allocation of $3,000 in additional funding, transferred from the Committee Projects and Seminar Budget Pool to the Website Development Budget.
It is expected that the website will continue to become a major tool of actions between RTAM and its membership and partners. Keep your attention to this aspect during the course of the coming year. The Committee urges you to use the website for knowledge and communication regarding issues related to retired teachers. You are urged as well to encourage and assist other retired members to “test drive” the RTAM website.
We have formed a partnership with TRIP MERCHANT to assist all of you who are travellers to more easily generate your travel plans.
The usefulness of this will be determined over the next year or so as travel plans fit into the new world following the COVID-19 pandemic.
I want to express my appreciation to the committee members for their work on the committee: Jack Fraser, Wayne Hughes, Doreen Sage, Joan Dawson, and the helpful inputs of office staff.
Also key to our success with an increasingly active website I want to mention the technical work of the RTAM webmaster Gayl Punzalan of Blue Ink Media. Gayl has accepted to do a special piece for all of you at some point in this 2020 AGM. Thanks and enjoy the balance of the meeting.
“Maximizing our membership numbers with online communications will maximize our common purpose and minimize the cost of doing so. Getting the best value online set-up and running it well must continue to be an immediate priority.”
Wellness Advocacy and Student Awards Committee
Student Awards Committee
Members: Linda Blair, Beth Smith and Joan Zaretsky
The RTAM Student Award Endowment Fund has reached a monetary value large enough to provide $1000 awards in 2020/21 to four students who are relatives of RTAM members. Through the compounding ability of the monies held at the Winnipeg Foundation these awards will increase exponentially FOR GOOD FOREVER to provide young relatives of RTAM members support in realizing their educational goals in the future. RTAM has reached the year when the initial $500 awards have doubled in value! Congratulations RTAM and Happy 150th Birthday Manitoba.
The appointed members of this committee met three times this year. The first two meetings were held on August 20 and 22 to process 47 student applications, and choose four students, who, after registering for post- secondary education in the fall, were rewarded each with $850 from the RTAM Endowment Fund held at The Winnipeg Foundation. These students can be seen on the RTAM website www.rtam.mb.ca. It is also where their
sponsors are named. At the second meeting of the Committee we recommended the continuation of soliciting feedback about Past Recipients from their Sponsors and explored ways to increase the Award Fund a little more quickly to reach the $1000 plus goal for future Awards. Suggestions, such as RTAM members being urged to leave a gift in their will, or make an in memoriam gift to the endowment fund, or even making the RTAM Endowment Fund at the Winnipeg Foundation their charity of choice for 2020 were put forward. At the third meeting in September, The Wellness Advocacy Committee formed an Ad Hoc sub-committee to plan a process for a possible RTAM Student Portfolio Project that a prospective award recipient starting high school might follow through with from Grade 9 to 12. This proposal will be presented at the Annual General Meeting to the Chapter Presidents Meeting.
Wellness Advocacy
Respectfully submitted by Linda Blair, Chair
Members: Meryl Orth, Joan Rink, Maureen Recksiedler Throughout 2019 - 2020, our committee was able to function through the use of email, physical meetings and Zoom. We had a total of five events planned. Three events were held, and two events had to be cancelled for various reasons. The feedback through completed Evaluation Forms from participants indicated a great appreciation for our events. On September 20, over 40 participants gathered at Assiniboine Park to attend a Photography Workshop hosted by Gayl Punzalan and her assistants. Gayl helped us learn more about using our cell phone camera as well as digital cameras to produce quality pictures. She showed us the composition rules that make pictures more visually appealing. Then we were off to the English Gardens to practice our new skills. Gayl gave us specific pointers in reference to our newly produced pictures, and we departed with a renewed enthusiasm. Our picture taking skills had been enhanced.
On October 18, about 25 participants met to learn about Extreme Winter Driving Conditions. The amount of space needed to stop in various driving conditions was remarkably different. No matter how good or bad the driving conditions are at the time, we need to recognize the laws of physics that determine the limitations of our stopping power. Hopefully we all drove home with much more awareness of the physics at play when we stop and go. Our Safety for Seniors Seminar scheduled for November 26 was cancelled and then rescheduled for March 10. Unfortunately, the seminar was once again cancelled. We were unable to hear the presentation prepared by the Community Police Officer. He would have given us information on current scams and other threats to our safety as well as how to protect ourselves. The Wills, Power of Attorney, and Health Directive to help prevent Elder Abuse by Sharon Tod was held on February 13. About 25 participants listened to Sharon as she informed us of the various documents that we need to have in place now. The reasons for having to do so as well as the fallout that is possible when these documents are not in place were well covered. The Health Seminar scheduled for March 20 was cancelled.
The webinar by Heart & Stroke would have given us the up to date information on heart health research. Researchers are
discovering how female heart health is different than male heart health. Females present differently. More research is now focusing on the female heart issues. Also, the Victoria Lifeline presenter planned to give us information regarding our health in reference to Successful Aging and Fall Prevention. She had various pointers to give us. Our committee has used our RTAM Website and KIT to keep our general membership abreast of our events. As deadlines permitted, we also used the advertising in KIT. In future, we plan to use the RTAM Website and KIT more effectively by noting any deadline dates, in particular.
Thank you to all our committee members as well as our Website and KIT workers for helping make our committee function successfully.
