A community meeting at the Royal Canadian Legion Jan. 30 brought the Better at Home program another step closer to being implemented in Quesnel this April.
Better at Home is a United Way program that helps seniors live in their own homes longer by providing simple, non-medical support services. Better at Home services are delivered by local non-profit agencies and staffed by a mix of paid and volunteer workers. Better at Home is funded by the B.C. government and managed by United Way of the Lower Mainland.
The range of Better at Home services available varies from community to community, depending on the specific needs of local seniors.
While some services may be offered for free, the majority of Better at Home services are provided on a fee-for-service basis, based on the client’s self-declared household income. This type of program design encourages community contribution, strives for access for all, increases impact (number of persons receiving services) and avoids undermining other service providers in the market.
Five communities in B.C. successfully piloted the program last year. This year another 51 communities are beginning the process of bringing the program to their own seniors. Quesnel is one of those communities.
Over the past two months a community development contractor has been conducting research in the community, including talking to approximately 75 seniors, to make initial determinations about what the needs of seniors in our community are and what non-medical services would be most useful to those seniors.
All community members were then invited to the meeting on Jan. 30 to hear the results of this research, learn more about the program and provide their own input on seniors’ needs.
The meeting exceeded organizers’ expectations, with more than 90 people attending.
Getting together in smaller groups, the attendees provided feedback on the initial report and articulated a number of community priorities.
Many extremely creative ideas for addressing the Better at Home program and other needs were voiced by participants.
Seniors who were interviewed and those that attended the Jan. 30 meeting were interested in having all the services offered by Better at Home brought to Quesnel. Several priorities and how they would be delivered were identified.
These included :
•transportation to appointments and events so that seniors can access services and participate more in the community;
•house and yard maintenance tasks, including snow shovelling, gutter cleaning, yard work and assistance with gardening;
•friendly visits and check ins to reduce isolation of seniors and ensure they are okay;
•services that are coordinated and straightforward to access and navigate – “one-stop shopping.”
The meeting also gave seniors the opportunity to voice their concerns about needs and issues beyond the scope of the Better at Home program. These were recorded as well and are being communicated to the appropriate agencies and levels of government for follow-up.
In both the survey process and at the community meeting, participants were asked to identify the characteristics of a strong lead agency. Many characteristics were identified, with the following themes being most often or most strongly mentioned:
•the capacity and “track record” to manage the project (many people commented the project might be
too large for one agency);
•willingness to, history of and ability to form partnerships and work collaboratively;
•provides a “one-stop” service that can provide, coordinate and/or refer to all relevant services;
•provides strong volunteer management, including recruitment, training, screening and monitoring;
•seniors’ focused and senior-friendly: personal, flexible, inclusive, easy to access, etc.
Participants at the meeting heard from and asked questions of community agencies who had expressed interest in delivering the Better at Home program in Quesnel.
Three groups stepped forward – the Quesnel Lions Club, the North Cariboo Aboriginal Family Program Society and the North Cariboo Metis Association. Each brought various strengths to the upcoming program and are currently meeting to discuss how they might work together on its delivery based on feedback provided at the meeting.
It’s anticipated that Quesnel’s Better at Home services will be available to seniors in April of this year.