Presentation to Priorities & Planning Committee Meeting with - - PDF document

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Presentation to Priorities & Planning Committee Meeting with Priority & Planning Committee March 3, 2016 NWT Seniors’ Society & the NWT Network to Prevent Abuse of Older Adults Presenters: Leon Peterson, President Merlyn Williams, Treasurer Barb Hood, Executive Director General Comments: Thank you for the opportunity to talk to you about our priorities and the opportunities which exist to form effective, positive and lasting partnerships for the benefit of older adults in the NWT. Barb: About the NWT Seniors’ Society – Who We Are? What We Do? Mission

• Established 33 years ago to ensure older adults have dignity, independence, participation,

fairness and security within the community.

• Provides information, acts as a resource and supports for older adults throughout the NWT.
• Only voluntary non-profit/non-government organization representing the individual and

collective interests of all NWT older adults. Structure

• Non-profit under the Societies Act of the NWT since 1983; 9 member Board of Directors of

representatives from small and large communities throughout the NWT, appointed by their community member organizations representing the interests of older adults throughout the NWT;

• Community-based approaches informs Directors who serve all older adults not just those in

their community/region;

• Board functions and is funded as the Seniors’ Advisory Council which provides advice and

support to GNWT, through the Minister Responsible for Seniors.

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Staff and Resources

• Executive Director only, with casual and contractors as project funds allow;
• Resources vary depending on project funds available;
• Multi-funding sources, specifically over the past 5 years, Federal Government funding to

building the NWT Network to Prevent Abuse of Older Adults. Revenue from the Federal Government totaled $725,000 for the last three years. Average funding from GNWT through multi-year funding from Health and Social Services if $199,000.00. The only increase in funding in the last 10 years was $12,000 to support the capacity of the Seniors’ Advisory Council. We do not receive increases in funding in consideration of forced growth or indexing of contributions. Contract staff provides accounting, bookkeeping, and communications functions. We have two websites, Facebook, Twitter, newsletters and regularly engage with a wide range of people about issues and events of interest. The Executive Director answers the Seniors’ Information Line which provides support, referrals and information to callers from across the NWT; initiates Senior Citizens’ Month programming which includes World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, Intergenerational Day proclamations and intergenerational programming; co-ordinating and support for Seniors’ Advisory Council meetings and functions that support government programs and services; Community Outreach Programs which includes workshops, development of seniors groups; trains and supports training workshops on various topics of interest to older adults including preventing abuse of older adults workshops; and admin and coordination for the NWT Network to Prevent Abuse of Older Adults and the regular gatherings of the Seniors’ Advisory Council. Leon:

• 3. Our Strategic Priorities

We have four main priorities in our strategic plan. Our priorities were identified in 2014 when

• ur Board of Directors met. These priorities were informed and confirmed in the recent

research and study conducted by Aurora Research Institute in 2014-15 entitled Influences

• n Quality of Life of Older Adults in the Northwest Territories. We asked you about these

priorities in our pre-election survey.

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• 1. Lower Living Costs

As you know, most NWT older adults live on a fixed income but like all northerners don’t have fixed living costs. Rising food costs that are three or more times the national average depending on the community, and the continuing high costs of transportation, energy, and housing are hitting older adults hard in all communities, and contributing to growing poverty and inequality. We need to seriously tackle living costs not only because it is the right thing to do, and is a human rights issue, but for the clear benefits to older adults in terms of health and independence and lower health and care costs for public programs and services. Reducing living costs was a mantra throughout both the federal and territorial election

• campaigns. Thank you for recognizing the vulnerability of older adults on fixed incomes and

for your interest in improving the Nutrition North Program and increasing the Northern Residents Deduction. These two initiatives can help but they are not the only actions that can be taken. In these times, doing the same things over and over won’t help. We need to be bold, creative, and step outside the box. Focusing on growing local economies is one approach we endorse because it is sustainable, controlled by local people, keeps money circulating in the community and engages both young and old. For example, older adults have a wealth of skills and knowledge to bring to strengthening local food systems and we have lots of experience sharing and taking collective action that can be instructive in reducing day to day costs if we all work together. We are glad that you share our concerns about ensuring safe, adequate and affordable housing for older adults. Housing is a cost of living flashpoint for all older adults but especially so in larger centres. There just aren’t enough affordable options for people on fixed income. We appreciate Kieron Testart and Rocky Simpson’s plan to invest in seniors housing and Cory Vanthuyne’s commitment to ‘seniors’ specific’ renovation and quality homecare

• programs. The NWT Seniors’ Society would like to explore these ideas and connect them

with Bob McLeod’s commitment to a new NWT Seniors’ Strategy and Glen Abernathy’s commitment to implementing the Our Elders: Our Communities. Lower living costs will reduce the anxiety experienced by many older adults. Given the high incidence of financial abuse of older adults throughout the NWT, lower living costs could also have benefits in keeping older adults safe. We know of a household in this territory where 17 people live in a three bedroom house. This is not only dangerous and woefully inadequate but it is a severe disregard for the human right of each family to life with dignity.

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• 2. Safe Communities

70% of older adults in the NWT see abuse as a problem in their communities. The NWT Seniors’ Society has worked for 20 years on efforts to stop older adult abuse and intensified these efforts in last five years. We’ve conducted first of its kind research, held territorial and community meetings and workshops, led education and training efforts, supported intergenerational projects, done legislative and policy research, and advocacy. We’ve established the NWT Network to Prevent Abuse of Older Adults, which involves over 75 individuals and agencies from throughout the NWT. We’ve evaluated our efforts, and with the NWT Network, put forward the Creating Safe Communities for Older Adults: A Five Year Strategy for the Northwest Territories 2015-2020. We have the support of the Department

• f Health & Social Services and the Minister Responsible for Seniors to put this work

forward to the Legislative Assembly as a tabled document sometime in the near future. We know from our work over the years to stop older adult abuse that creating safe communities for all older adults requires a concerted effort by everyone in the community. It also requires a long term, sustained commitment that builds on successes. These are the principles that underlie the Creating Safe Communities Strategy. The Strategy has four priorities – public engagement, community responses, education and training, and policy and legislation – and 20 actions. We have not costed out the strategy but it will require few new resources but it does require the time commitment and focus of all our partners, including the GNWT and its various health and social services authorities. Merlyn:

• 3. Medical Services

Older adults in the NWT are fortunate to have a supportive health care system and Extended Health Care benefits that allow us to maintain our health and live independently for as long as possible. There was consensus among those of you responding to our pre-election survey that no changes would or should be made to Extended Healthcare Benefits for NWT seniors. It is heartening to hear that you recognize the importance of these benefits to quality of life, dignity and independence. This assurance is very positive when older adults look at the benefits of staying in the NWT. Attracting people to move to be with family has a revenue benefit as well as a social benefit for all the NWT. Still, we worry about how this government will actually fulfill its commitment to maintaining benefits and quality health services. We are concerned about the costs and possible impacts of the Stanton Hospital Renewal Project going ahead without any public discussion

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about the impacts of this 30 year public-private partnership on the whole health system and the GNWT’s ability to serve the needs of older adults and other northerners. This discussion is important in light of uncertainty around the Canada Health Transfer agreement, rising drug costs that will be aggravated by recent federal government trade deals (Trans Pacific Partnership), and staffing and equipment challenges already evident in our health care

• system. Talk of public service cuts and other austerity measures increases our concerns.

The NWT Seniors’ Society urges the GNWT to focus on protecting public health and other services rather than cutting them. We urge you to consider ways of raising revenues rather than cutting programs and services. Cutting services will immediately impact the most vulnerable and that would be older adults. We also encourage you to be bold and optimistic about the future we would help shape for our territory.

• 4. Eliminate Inequalities

The NWT Seniors’ Society is a strong advocate for aging in place. No one wants to lose their independence or become institutionalized. Rather, we want to contribute throughout

• ur lifespan. As most of you indicated in the pre-election survey, you are also committed to

aging in place and to working closely with the NWT Seniors’ Society to advance ways for more older adults to do this. But in addition to the issues already raised, inequitable access to services is a serious impediment to aging in place. Many older adults are not getting the care and support they need to live independently, safely and with dignity. Lack of services and supports is creating health and security risks for older adults. As many of you pointed out in the pre-election survey, it is not possible to provide all programs and services in all communities but it is still possible to ensure that older adults have equitable access to all programs and services. Government Service Officers (GSOs) have been a great help to older adults in accessing programs and services but these positions don’t exist in all communities, and a recent press release from the GNWT seems to suggest that GSOs efforts are going to be refocused on business development. This isn’t helpful for older adults in communities with limited services. We’d like to explore some of the ideas that you folks put forward in the pre-election survey– for example, Kieron Testart suggested a Wellness Navigator Program; Julie Green put forth the idea of a single window government service; and both Wally Schumann and Caroline Cochrane-Johnson suggested a review of policies and seniors programs/services to improve outcomes. It was also good to hear Glen Abernathy and Shane Thompson’s commitment to working closely with the NWT Seniors’ Society and to Rocky Simpson’s commitment to increase investments in home care.

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It was also wonderful to hear Bob McLeod’s commitment to establishing a working committee to study new approaches to support aging in place while making commitments to interagency and intergovernmental cooperation in providing services to our seniors as part

• f a new NWT Seniors’ Strategy.

These and some other ideas have merit for achieving equitable access to programs and services so we truly are supporting aging in place. But we need to work together to turn these ideas into realities and close the gap between older adults throughout the NWT. Leon:

• 5. Seniors’ Advocate

Although not a current strategic priority of our organization during our planning sessions in 2014, a seniors’ advocate has been an ongoing priority for our organization for almost 20 years. We see increased safety, health, housing and other issues arising as a result of changing social and economic circumstances as well due to the rapidly growing older population, which is expected to double to about 9,000 by 2030. A small, non-profit agency like the NWT Seniors’ Society doesn’t have the capacity or influence to respond to these growing needs. In our pre-election survey there was mixed support for a Seniors’ Advocate. Some of you support this position; some see this work continuing to be done only by the Society; and

• thers see an NWT Ombudsman being this advocate (and recognize that this is unfinished

business from the 17th Assembly). Both British Columbia and Alberta are two jurisdictions that have Seniors’ Advocates. In BC, the Seniors’ Advocate monitors and analyzes seniors’ services and issues in B.C., and makes recommendations to government and service providers to address systemic issues. In Alberta, the Seniors’ Advocate requests inspections, investigations, and quality and safety assessments related to care provided in seniors' facilities; does referrals; and provides information and public education. At the moment, the NWT Seniors’ Society provides some of these functions but we don’t have the capacity or influence, especially on systemic issues. So we’d really like to talk more about this perhaps within the context of a new NWT Seniors’ Strategy or program review.

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We are happy to answer any questions you may have. Thank you for this opportunity, Leon Peterson, President, NWT Seniors’ Society