Seniors' Education Centre Hosts Government Officials
Late in October 1999 information packages about the Regina Seniors' Quality of Life Project were sent to the following people:
- Regina Mayor and all members of City Council
- Judy Junor, Minister Responsible for Seniors
- Pat Atkinson, Minister of Health
- Glenn Hagel, Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Skills Training
- Jim Melenchuk, Minister of Education
- Premier Roy Romanow & Deputy Premier Dwain Lingenfelter received copies of these letters
- Elwin Hermanson, Leader of the Opposition
- Con Hnatiuk, Deputy Minister of Health
- Neil Yates, Deputy Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Skills Training
This activity was very productive in terms of making government officials aware of the factors that affect seniors' quality of life. To date, the following officials have either visited the Seniors' Education Centre to get more information about our project or set a firm date for a January visit:
- Glenn Hagel, Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Skills Training
- Neil Yates, Deputy Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Skills Training
- Judy Junor, Minister in Charge of Seniors
- Pat Inglis and Eileen Badiuk, Representatives of the Continuing Care Branch, Saskatchewan Health
Seniors' Quality of Life Project Chair and Head of Seniors' Education Centre Speak to Community Groups About Project
The intent of our project is to provide background materials so that interested seniors can assume ownership over social action activities relating to seniors' quality of life. One social action activity will be presentations to community groups. To date, three community presentations have been confirmed:
- February 2000 - The Rev. Dr. Don King, Director of the Seniors' Education Centre will be speaking to Regina Health Districts' 50+ Advisory Committee.
- February 2000 - Beth Smith, Project Chair, will be making a presentation to the Gyros Club, a local service club.
- March 2, 2000 - Beth Smith, Project Chair and the Rev. Dr. Don King, Director of the Seniors' Education Centre will be speaking about the project at a Seniors' Education Centre Noon-Hour Forum
Regina Health District Partners with Seniors' Education Centre on Seniors' Quality of Life Project
Regina Health District is partnering with the Seniors' Education Centre in the Seniors' Quality of Life project by conducting interviews with rural seniors.
Dale Young, who works with the Public Health Branch of the Health District, and two rural seniors comprise the Rural Subcommittee of the Seniors Action Plan Steering Committee (a joint planning committee of the City of Regina and the Regina Health District). Beth Smith and Bruce Rice, two members of our Seniors' Quality of Life Coordinating Committee are also members of the Seniors' Action Plan Steering Committee.
When Dale described the work that we are doing to a group of rural seniors, the Rural Subcommittee of the Seniors' Action Plan Steering Committee thought that interviews with rural seniors would be a good supplement to what has already been done.
Therefore, they developed interview questions and interview protocols parallel to those that Jayne and I used when we did our interviews earlier this year. I checked with the University of Regina Ethics Committee regarding this process and the Chairman of the Ethics Committee said that there is no problem with another agency using our interview questions and protocols.
Bruce assisted with this project by dividing the Health District into five rural areas. A total of 10 interviews are being done by Dale and her team - two interviews in each rural area. Dale will be doing five interviews and the two volunteer seniors who are working with her on this project will be doing five.
Dale and her team are attempting to balance the interviews they are doing so they get approximately equal numbers of females and males, representatives from town, farm and beach properties, people who live in their own homes and people who live in seniors' complexes.
The interviews will be completed by January 7, 2000. Dale and her team are getting together on January 14 to discuss their findings and identify major themes. A short report outlining the major themes will be prepared after this meeting.
This work is a valuable supplement to the interviews that Jayne and I did. Jayne and I interviewed seniors living primarily in the Regina and Fort Qu'Appelle areas. This work will provide broader geographic coverage and also more diversity in living situations. For example Dale and her team will interview people living on farms and beach properties.
I will wait until the third week of January 2000 to complete our Action Plan, so that I can incorporate the findings of the Regina Health District, and thus produce a stronger and more comprehensive document.
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