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SUNBURST 12
February 15, 2008
Notice of Annual General Meeting
Notice is hereby given that the annual general meeting of
Alberta Seniors United Now Society will be held as follows:
Thursday April 17, 2008
11:00 AM
Westend Seniors Activity Centre
9629- 176 Street
Edmonton, AB
Doors open at 10:00AM for registration
meeting begins at 11:00AM
Guest Speaker - to be announced
For the purpose of:
1. President’s report
2. Receiving and considering financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2007 and the report of the auditors thereon
3. Electing directors; and
4. Transacting such further and other business as may properly come before the meeting or any adjournment thereof
Dated the 13th day of February, 2008
On Behalf of the Board of Directors
Presidents Remarks:
The Board of Directors started the 2008 year with a stated objective of being more proactive to Governmental polices rather then reactive. To this end, we established our top five issues, improved our communication system and retained the services of a professional news release company.
Your Board of Directors first release was a personal letter, over the signature of the president, to all 83 MLA’s. Our letter encouraged all MLA’s to support a SUN proposal that the Government should implement a senior loan program to provide low interest loans for the maintenance, repair and modification of their principal residence. We recognize that other options exist in the public domain, but we contend that they may be quite expensive. (for details of this proposal see Sunburst 11 issued 4th Quarter 2007)
The response was quite encouraging and we also received a response from Honourable Greg Melchin, Minister of Seniors and Community support. He wrote on behalf of all PC MLA’s. While he did not support our proposal he did acknowledge that the public option may be costly.
Our continued presence on the Circle of Chairs, Seniors’ Task Force is continuing to develop productive responses to governmental policies. This task force ensures that all members take a joint and independent response to major senior issues. The same message is repeated for emphasis.
The Seniors’ Task force continues to advocate for the establishment of the Office of an Independent Seniors’ Advocate. This Seniors’ Task Force met with the Seniors’ Advisory Council for Alberta, chaired by Mr George Vanderburg, MLA, Whitecourt. The SUN President and Vice President were in attendance, however our proposal was not well received as the Government prefers NOT to establish independent advocates.
SUN Director, Mr John Shaw, attended the Canadian Health Coalition National Drug Plan hearing. A compelling case was presented for a national Pharmacare Program that could benefit seniors. Mr Shaw will continue to follow up on this possibility and will keep you posted from time to time.
As an Alberta Election has now been called, your Board of Directors is sending out news releases regarding seniors’ issues. Our goal is to impress on the candidates the importance of seniors’ issues and that seniors need to be listened too. We have a right to share in the wealth of Alberta. SUN will continue to respond to campaign issues during the election period. We will actively represent all seniors in Alberta.
It is SUN’s plan to be actively involved in political forums to ensure that candidates are discussing senior issues and to continually remind the candidates of senior issues.
SUN, as an advocate for seniors, is moving forward and I believe becoming more effective each year. We have now grown to be an organization that effectively represents its members and also all seniors in Alberta. The Board of Directors appreciates your continual support as we grow and mature.
Gordon Voth,
President
Alberta Seniors United Now
Independence Matters a series of Media releases
Alberta Seniors Benefit - Thresholds inadequate January 14, 2008
Alberta seniors, despite the Alberta Advantage, are having difficulty remaining in their own homes because the qualifying thresholds for the Alberta Seniors Benefit are too low.
“In Alberta, single seniors earning more than the designated annual income threshold of $22,200 and senior couples earning more than $35,900 do not qualify for the Alberta Seniors Benefit,” said Liz Allchin, Vice-President of Alberta Seniors United Now (SUN). “These thresholds render many seniors ineligible for support, making independent living an impossibility.”
Unrealistically low-income thresholds, coupled with the inflationary cost of living, make independent living a non-option for many seniors. “An increase in thresholds is imperative,” said Allchin. “Alberta needs to step up to the plate and increase thresholds by a minimum of 50% over the next five years. This will allow Alberta seniors to stay in their homes and continue to contribute to their communities. Alberta seniors have a right to share in the Alberta Advantage."
Studies show that seniors and society as a whole benefit when seniors live independently within their communities. There are economic, social and health benefits to seniors who are able to remain at home – benefits which are passed along to society and taxpayers. A move by the Alberta government to increase income thresholds for seniors will benefit the entire province.
Alberta Seniors' independence threatened by increased cost of living January 18, 2008
Seniors living independently are generally healthier, happier, and more active than those in assisted living situations. Naturally, they want to maintain this independence. The cost of living in Alberta, however, is a serious threat to their independence.
“Three elements in particular are of concern for seniors living on a fixed income,” said Liz Allchin, Vice President of Alberta Seniors United Now (SUN). The first is Alberta’s lack of legislation on rent controls. “Rent control legislation should be introduced in Alberta to protect seniors and vulnerable members of society from unrealistic and untimely rent increases,” said Allchin. "With no rent controls in place, Alberta seniors on fixed incomes are being forced out of their homes, which in a province known for the 'Alberta Advantage', is illogical and unnecessary."
The second element is recent increases in electricity and natural gas costs that have caused considerable increases in the cost of living for seniors. SUN proposes that the Alberta government develop a realistic subsidy program to help those most affected by these escalated costs.
The third element is the rising cost of home maintenance, repair and modification. SUN has recently proposed a loan program designed for home-owning seniors that would enable them to borrow from the government against the equity in their homes at a low fixed interest rate to be repaid on the sale of their home. "The SUN proposal is a fair and sensible solution. We encourage the government to adopt it," proposed Allchin.
SUN urges the Alberta government to adhere to one of its stated mandates: “fostering the inclusion and independence of seniors and Albertans with disabilities through policy development" by moving forward with these legislation and program changes.
Alberta Seniors need an advocate! January 25, 2008
Seniors need an advocate! They also need a one-stop go-to place for information and advocacy. There are presently more than 19 government departments enforcing pieces of legislation that affect seniors. Liz Allchin, Vice-President of Seniors United Now (SUN) says, “SUN, and other Alberta seniors advocacy groups, receive numerous phone calls from seniors trying to find their way through the maze of government. Imagine the frustration! Furthering the frustration is the technical language used, which to some seniors is like a foreign language.”
SUN, along with the Circle of Chairs of Seniors Advisory Groups, propose an independent Seniors’ Advocate. A Seniors' Advocate would have two functions:
1) Provide support and assistance to seniors who are experiencing difficulties.
2) Provide impartial information to the government with respect to the needs of the older population and where the gaps in the system exist. “Similar to the Office of the Ombudsman, a seniors advocate would operate at arms length to the government, thereby maintaining objectivity and neutrality,” said Allchin. “Ultimately, we envision trained seniors helping other seniors.”
Alberta seniors would benefit from an office designed to serve them. A Seniors' Advocate is important today and will continue to be important as Alberta’s population of seniors will have doubled by 2020.
Alberta Seniors $108.00 per day? Hardly!! February 13, 2008
In Alberta, the cost of housing a prisoner for one day is $108.00, paid for solely by the Alberta government. If Alberta seniors were to receive a comparable amount for housing, they would live very well indeed! Liz Allchin, Vice-President of Seniors United Now (SUN) says that the inequities in spending are significant. “Not by any stretch are we suggesting that seniors receive funding of this magnitude, but it is distressing that in a province where incarceration costs are comparably lower than other provinces, financial support to seniors on fixed incomes still falls short.”
Seniors on fixed incomes need financial assistance in order to continue to live independently. Studies show that seniors and society benefit when seniors live independently in their communities. Allchin says, "Despite the advantages to the province as a whole, a province whose senior population will double by
2020, Alberta does not have a realistic plan for seniors to remain independently in their communities.
The Alberta government has the power to enable seniors on a fixed income to remain independent and at the same time maintain their quality of life. Alberta needs:
• Rent controls - Without rent controls, the living arrangements of seniors on fixed incomes are in jeopardy.
• Increased thresholds for Alberta Seniors Benefits - With a designated annual income threshold of $22,200 for single seniors and $35,900 for senior couples, meeting the costs of living becomes a challenge. The increase in utility costs alone have caused considerable strain for many seniors.
• Enhanced medical coverage -
? With the ever-increasing cost of drugs, coverage levels have become insufficient. An increase in coverage levels is desperately needed.
? Physiotherapy coverage is almost non-existent and needs to be greatly enhanced.
? Medical or personal homecare are generally underfunded and often seniors are required to pay for it privately. Greater funding is essential.
? Optical and dental coverage are also set at impractical levels and should be re-evaluated.
Seniors require fair and equitable treatment. They need realistic programs of support to enable those on fixed incomes a reasonable quality of life. With an election on the horizon, SUN invites and encourages those who wish to govern to seriously consider these concepts, and those who vote to ask the questions.
GUEST COLUMN – Brian Staples
Alberta’s Seniors Call Out for an Independent Advocate
It was the spring of 2003. I was frustrated and depressed, having just gotten off the phone with another desperate senior who had called me for help. She was crying on the line. As the chair of a seniors’ social action policy group called SALT, my number was listed in seniors’ directories. I often got calls from seniors who were in all kinds of desperate situations. Talking on the phone was not the answer. Face to face contact with these seniors was essential. Thus began a five year struggle to get the province to create an Independent Seniors’ Advocate (ISA) as an officer of the Legislature.
In my working life, I had been a public servant. My job was to develop our system of Further Education Councils and then the Interdepartmental Community School Policy. With both these programs, I was only able to succeed because an extensive public participatory process was used. If the ISA was to be established, I would have to get support from other seniors’ groups. I knew that could be a problem. Many seniors’ organizations face two realities if they want to do advocacy work. Some have the need for government grants to function. Few dare to bite the hand that feeds them. Others depend on selling memberships to seniors for which they can issue tax receipts. Issuing such receipts severely limits the amount of advocacy work they do.
Nevertheless, contacts were made with chairs of seniors’ groups I thought might be getting the same kind of heart wrenching calls I was receiving from seniors. Were they, too, hearing from seniors about issues like grappling with the health care system; having to leave their homes because a partner had died; their own children abusing them to get an inheritance; pensions or savings not being enough to live on; problems with repairs to their housing and so on? Some chairs felt they could not get involved. Others were willing to step up to help make it happen. A Circle of Chairs of Advocacy Groups was formed and a proposal for an ISA was developed. The paper is available on the web at . It lists the seniors’ groups which stepped up.
The ISA would have the same status as the Ombudsman, who, incidentally, cannot act as an advocate. She or he would have a small permanent staff. The staff includes an associate responsible for collecting and continually updating the wide spectrum of resources in existence from all sources to assist seniors in distress. A second associate would be responsible for recruiting, training, and deploying a corps of seniors, called ISA Elders (Elders). The Elders would be paid honouraria to be the field arm of the ISA. They would be able to actually visit seniors in distress, and guide them through the resource maze.
The ISA would also refer appropriate cases to the Ombudsman, the Police, Human Rights or Privacy Commissioner, etc. She or he would gather comprehensive evidence on deficiencies or gaps in services to assist seniors in distress and advocate for eliminating those deficiencies and for improvements of services. Such comprehensive, system wide, evidence is not currently collected.
The ISA must be independent. At a recent meeting with the government’s own seniors’ advisory council, the chair, a government MLA, said, very frankly, the last thing the government would want is an independent officer of the Legislature because such positions set up their own bureaucracies and, “We can’t get at them.” This statement contrasts starkly with Premier Stelmach’s commitment to openness and transparency.
The ISA paper has already gone through a government Standing Policy Committee and received favourable consideration. The concept was also endorsed by several of the governing party’s leadership candidates including our current Treasurer. All opposition parties support the ISA idea. Alberta’s senior population will double by 2020. The ISA is an important policy the Province would be smart to adopt prior to the next election.
The fact that many seniors continue to call out for help cannot be denied. It is time that all MLAs started getting phone calls requesting the Province set up an Independent Seniors’ Advocate. It is better to have a really open and transparent way to address seniors’ issues, rather than to stay silent until you or your loved one is making that call for help, and no one is there to take your part.
Brian Staples is the Chair of SALT and Spokesperson for the Circle of Chairs of Seniors’ Advocacy Groups.
SENIORS CONTRIBUTE
Older people provide a wealth of experience, knowledge, continuity, support and love to younger generations. The unpaid work of seniors makes a major contribution to their families and communities. Some 69 percent of older Canadians provide one or more types of assistance to spouses, children, grandchildren, friends and neighbours. Many grandparents care for their grandchildren on a part-time or full-time basis; and increasing numbers of grandparents are raising their grandchildren on their own. As caregivers to spouses, family, friends and neighbours, seniors are a vital force in reducing health care and social service costs. Civil society programs benefit from the voluntary contributions of a large and growing number of retired seniors with valuable knowledge and skills.
YOU ASKED???
Fundraising and the Independent Seniors Advocate (ISA)
Seniors United Now has possibly reached a new crossroads in its quest for expansion and growth. We are looking for input from the members as to how we should deal with fundraising at a higher more sustainable level. If SUN is to continue to grow and to speak for Alberta Seniors it needs a solid financial basis on which to stand.
At present SUN relies heavily on membership dues to stay solvent. This is not enough. In the past an important part of the responsibility of our executive director was to conduct activities that allowed extra funds to be generated for SUN. Such activities as partnering with business, raffles, 50/50 draws, advertising, soliciting private and limited corporate donations and most recently a future casino will or have generated most of the extra funds needed to keep SUN solvent. More recently we have redefined the role of our executive director not in terms of a fundraiser but as a strong advocate for seniors, a person capable of highlighting seniors’ issues front and centre in a media savvy world.
If SUN is to issue income tax receipts it must comply with federal Income Tax law. “Under the Income Tax Act, a registered charity that is established exclusively for charitable purposes can engage to a limited extent (i.e., devote no more that 10% of the charity’s resources) in non-partisan political “activities” which directly help accomplish the charity’s purposes. This includes, for example, distributing publications or holding conferences, workshops or other forms of communication intended primarily to sway public opinion to the charity’s point of view.” Fortunately and unfortunately this is what SUN does. For SUN to issue income tax receipts and apply for federal charitable income tax status SUN would have to change the way it does business.
Recently, SUN along with the Circle of Chairs has endorsed the establishment of an Independent Seniors Advocate (ISA). (Edmonton Journal January 17, 2008, Alberta’s Seniors Seek Independent Advocate). To date much effort has been put into trying to get the Alberta Government to buy into this concept. The reality is that the government has been at best lukewarm to the idea and with the upcoming election have no intention of entertaining this idea as part of their platform. A more realistic and fruitful approach might be for SUN to tackle this role of ISA itself. To do this SUN would have to add a “service advocacy” component to its organization. This new hands on role could give SUN a new status because rather than just being seen as an “advocacy group” it could now be seen as providing direct service to seniors in need. Furthermore, it would give advocacy a whole new meaning because now we could help direct seniors in distress and with a small extra staff fulfill all the duties as outlined for the Independent Seniors Advocate. In addition this could provide SUN with first hand real stories about Seniors having difficulty and initiate a pipeline for relaying this information to the public in general. This could be the stuff out of which excellent advocacy is built.
If SUN were to take on the role of ISA itself we would need to look at alternative funding. One of these is not writing out income tax receipts. Perhaps we need to look at options like other organizations such as Friends of Medicare which has a list of supporting organizations (Friends of SUN for example) or CARP which relies on magazine advertising and on reward memberships to satisfy their financial needs. Needless to say SUN’s credibility would jump one hundred fold if the public perceived it as An Independent Seniors Advocate Championing the causes of All Alberta Seniors.
SUN’s taking on the role of the ISA in no way should let the current government “off the hook” for an Independent Seniors Advocacy Role but could provide a much needed transition stage. We should continue to lobby the government for that office. Furthermore, the Liberal Party Platform has in fact confirmed the legitimacy and the practicality of our proposal by stating that if elected they would create the Office of , “The Inspector General of Continuing Care” and an “Advocacy Care Centre for Dependent Adults”. (Blueprint for Action: Recommendations to Supplement the Seniors Report… by Bridget Pastoor)
If you have any feedback or ideas concerning these proposals please let us know by emailing either Gordon Voth our President or Denis Beaudry, Director in charge of fundraising at unitenow@telus.net or phone
780-449-1816
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