By Joel Wittnebel/Active Seniors Digest
The end of the year is always a time for reflection, and looking back over the federal government’s accomplishments for seniors in the past year illustrates many important steps in keeping seniors active and informed.
The first ever Government of Canada Action for Seniors report was released in September of last year. This plan is an informative resource not only for seniors but their families and caregivers as well.
More than 22 federal agencies were involved in forming the report that brings together a variety of informative websites and resources that seniors can turn to when looking for the facts to combat elder abuse and obtaining financial security, as well as access to services for housing, health and wellness.
Broken down by province, senior.gc.ca allows users to search for the information they need in one convenient format.
Furthermore, the Honourable Alice Wong, minister of State for Seniors, announced the launch of the Canadian Employers for Caregivers Plan.
A portal linked on the government website provides detailed information for caregivers. Topics such as powers of attorney, mental health information and dementia are all now available on the site.
In October of last year, a panel of ministers, co-chaired by Minister Wong, held the 16th meeting of the Federal, Provincial and Territorial Ministers Responsible for Seniors, which led to the Report on the Social Isolation of Seniors being released in November.
This document helped address social isolation and again provided further information for busy families trying to balance work and caregiving responsibilities.
“I am very proud of the work we’ve done over the past year to help seniors maintain a high quality of life and remain active members of their communities,” Wong states in a press release.
2014 follows a pattern of commitment by the federal government to address the key issues impacting seniors and since 2006, have instituted support measures such as pension income splitting, the Guaranteed Income Supplement was increased, and investment in the Targeted Initiative for Older Workers as well as funding to community-based projects for seniors were both increased.
“We will continue to support seniors and their families,” Wong says. “I invite you to visit seniors.gc.ca and read our new report Government of Canada: Action for Seniors to find out more about the scope of benefits services and opportunities available to seniors.”
