It comes to us all. One day we’re young and fun and on the run and the next thing you know we’re hunkered down and resolved to stay a little closer to home. This can sometimes be governed by our frailties. Our “golden years” can be challenging. Just managing the day-to-day tasks around our homes is not as easy as it once was. And yet as burdensome as that can be, we are loath to leave our family homes.
I think we could all agree that life is Better At Home. Home is where our memories are. Home is where our cherished items are, and home is undoubtedly where our hearts are.
So that leads me to the purpose of this article. I am so incredibly happy to be able to announce that North Shore Community Resources in conjunction with the Caring Circle is bringing their Better At Home program to Bowen Island. Better At Home is a provincially funded program, managed by the United Way of the Lower Mainland, to help seniors remain independent at home and stay within their community. Many other communities in B.C. offer this program to seniors but we have not had it on Bowen Island before now. The concept started five years ago when the Caring Circle approached the United Way to ask if this program could be delivered in our community. Colleen O’Neil, the Caring Circle’s program director, tells me she was surprised to get a phone call from the United Way recently asking if Bowen was still interested in pursuing this senior support service. The answer was a resounding “Yes!”
Better at Home supports seniors to age in place with dignity by providing subsidized services to keep them living independently and safely. The program recognizes that seniors are an important and growing part of communities and helps them with simple day-to-day tasks around their homes.
Under the Better At Home program, seniors have access to a range of non-medical home support services such as light housekeeping, minor home repairs, snow shovelling, yard work and transportation to medical appointments. Seniors are charged a fee for services on a sliding scale based on their income.
I am happy to say I will be the program coordinator for the Bowen program. It will launch March 1, at which time I will officially be able accept requests from seniors for services. I am hoping to have volunteers in place by then. But if you want to email me ahead of time please do and I will be happy to share information with you.
I will undoubtedly be pounding the pavement early next week looking for volunteers who might be interested in helping our seniors in these various areas of service. If you would like to offer up your services before I spot you, feel free to contact me.
I can be reached by email at [email protected] or by telephone at 236-988-9704.
And lastly, I know some of you will be wondering but no, I have not left CAWES. I plan to run the two programs side by side from my little office in Artisan Square.
