Better at Home, a United Way project, is holding a public meeting Wednesday Jan. 30 from 9 a.m.- 4 p.m. at the Royal Canadian Legion.
Better at Home helps seniors live independently in their own homes by providing services.
The program allows seniors 65 and older to choose from a basket of services.
These services include:
• Friendly visiting;
• Grocery shopping;
• Housekeeping;
• Home repair;
• Snow shovelling;
• Transportation to appointments;
• Yard work
Some of these services are offered on a volunteer basis, at no charge, but some of them are offered for a fee, which will be on a sliding scale, so the cost of the service will depend on the income of the senior.
“The demand in Quesnel is huge,” capacity services coordinator, Karen Borsato, said.
This program is making its way to Quesnel after very successful pilot projects last year, Borsato explained.
“There were five pilot sites last year and 18 communities were added this year, Quesnel being one of them,” she said.
There is no limit to how many seniors can use the project, as long as there is the capacity to meet the demand.
At the meeting, attendees are able to discuss what sort of services are needed in the community and which delivery agency would be best suited for the program.
The meeting is to encourage residents to provide input on what they would like to see with the program in the community.
During the morning portion of the meeting, Borsato will present her local research and encourage attendees to break into small groups to discuss the program and to talk about what type of agency would be best for Quesnel.
Then there will be a lunch provided and during the afternoon, details will be worked out and there will be a discussion about how to select which agency to provide the program to Quesnel.
Borsato stressed the importance of attendance, as input is required for the program to be successful.
“It’s not just for seniors; anyone who works with seniors is also invited, and anyone else who wants to attend is welcome,” she said.
“People from the city and the MLA’s office will be there as well as service providers.”
Borsato explained although it is an issue in the community, Better at Home and the meeting will not be addressing health care issues.
“I think health care, affordable housing for seniors and transportation are the three biggest issues in the community right now, but unfortunately that’s not really what Better at Home is aimed for,” she explained.
Borsato said the Legion hall can hold 200 people, but she’s aiming to have around 100 attendees.
As planning is going into this meeting, Borsato asks that everyone who would like to attend pre-register by calling 250-992-9160.
Transportation support to the meeting is available on a limited basis.