Using grants from the provincial Saskatchewan Seniors Mechanism (SSM), Age-Friendly Moose Jaw is an all-volunteer group determined to help people over 55 stay active and independent as they age in place.
“The trend in aging and with seniors is trying to facilitate independence. That’s also called aging in place, home support, there’s various names for it,” explained Christine Boyczuk, committee chair for Age-Friendly Moose Jaw.
Boyczuk is an active volunteer within her community, giving her time generously to many causes. She has been extensively honoured for her activism and advocacy, including a provincial award in November 2022 for helping establish Age-Friendly Moose Jaw according to SSM criteria.
“The trend toward aging in place was really exacerbated by the pandemic,” Boyczuk said, “when there were indications that, you know, warehousing people in long-term care homes is not the safest practice.”
Making communities more age friendly is also a growing response to the fact that Canada’s population is aging rapidly. Boyczuk said it’s estimated that more than 300,000 new long-term care beds are needed, at a cost of $200,000 per bed. Once the beds are occupied, it costs $200 per person per day to give long-term care residents everything they need.
“Experiments all over the world have estimated that for about half of what it costs for a long-term care bed, people could be helped in their homes. What we’d like to do, eventually, our goal is to set up a system of people self-managing, getting caregiver supports, yard care, all the things that are really difficult for people to do on their own as their age.”
Boyczuk has her own experience to draw on — following her husband’s death several years ago, she’s needed a lot of help on her property, and considers herself lucky to have the personal resources to arrange that help. A lot of people can’t do that, she pointed out.
Age-Friendly Moose Jaw has, so far, administered surveys throughout the community to determine the greatest needs (loneliness and snow removal top the list), achieved municipal recognition (they will be represented on the City of Moose Jaw’s Accessible Community Advisory Committee starting this fall), and successfully obtained grants for further programming.
Their next step is a community directory of supports, due to be published in September, which will be a centralized, updated list that anyone can access. In October, a Senior Resource Centre will open at Timothy Eaton Centre, home of partner organization Moose Jaw & District Seniors Association.
The committee is seeking subsidy options to help pay for things like snow-clearing for low-income seniors, enabling them to leave their houses safely more often.
“So, we’re going to manage the Senior Resource Centre with a facilitator and a volunteer. Leanne Schutte at the senior’s association is the co-ordinator of that pilot project, with the directory available for anyone who needs it,” Boyczuk said.
“Also in September, we have our Coffee & Conversation project, in partnership with the YMCA of Regina and with help from the Blue Cross. That will get seniors together for health-related conversations, mental health, physical health, and also increasing social interaction.”
Boyczuk believes volunteering and working on behalf of others is a vital part of aging and encourages other seniors to reach out to get involved.
“We’re always looking for more members. It’s good to have contact with lots of individuals to get input on questions like housekeeping, social options, yard care and specifically snow shoveling, or maybe helping someone shop for a birthday present, or just visiting.
“There are a lot of gaps in Moose Jaw. … For example, yard care that’s based on your income, or a Friendly Visitor Program, like lots of communities have.”
If you or someone you know is interested in volunteering with Age-Friendly Moose Jaw, Christine Boyczuk can be reached at [email protected] or by phone at 306-693-0609.
Loads more information on the committee and its work can be found on their website at agefriendlysk.ca/af-moose-jaw-community-page.
