Vulnerable and low-income seniors living in the District of West Vancouver will soon have more choices to help them age at home safely, and in good health. This has been made possible through the $732,000 in federal funding received from the In-Home Support Pilot Project stream of the Age Well at Home Initiative. This funding covers a two-year period and will be used to support outreach initiatives for seniors including the scaling up of existing programs, and the mobilizing of volunteers for program delivery.
Existing District programs that will receive this funding to further benefit seniors include:
Feed the Need – a meal support program providing three home-delivered nutritious meals per week to qualified low-income seniors. Staff and volunteers work collaboratively to prepare and deliver meals.
Community Navigators – Volunteer peer support for seniors who need additional assistance navigating health care, government services, housing, and other related issues. Volunteers will also provide rides to medical appointments, and offer friendly connection through telephone calls and visits.
Snow Angels – Trained volunteers will be assigned to low-income seniors for the winter season, and will shovel seniors’ sidewalks and walkways in the event of snow.
The funding will also be used to hire staff to facilitate the programs, and for the purchase of associated capital equipment, food, and other supplies.
“People want to age at home – in health, in safety, and in dignity. There are organizations across the country who are bringing people together in their community to look after their seniors. We’re investing in those organizations, in those volunteers, who are making lives better and communities stronger.” - Minister for Seniors, Seamus O’Regan Jr.
“Seniors in all areas of our country deserve to age at home, with their health, safety, and dignity. Despite being an affluent community, there are increasing numbers of seniors living in poverty and in food insecurity that is often unseen. Our community has stepped up to create programs like the Feed the Need program to ensure that vulnerable seniors get access to nutritious food so that they can have a healthy lifestyle. The Government of Canada is proud to support this critical work that will serve hundreds of seniors in West Vancouver and to play its part to improve the lives of seniors throughout Canada.” -Patrick Weiler, Member of Parliament for West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country
“The foundation and strength of West Vancouver are the people, and our seniors and their legacy are a huge part of that. This funding will help to provide for those who need it most, the chance to age well at home in safety and with dignity, and they will know how much we care. I am grateful that this funding will allow us to expand these essential programs,” shares Mayor Mark Sager.
Funded in part by the Government of Canada’s Age Well at Home Initiative.