the Vancouver Project

Present: Mary Brown, Patricia Fulton, Mary Hill, Tom Kinloch, Anne Kloppenborg, Simon Oosterhuis, Patrick McGowan, Carol Smith, Sabine Swierenga
Regrets: Mish Vadasz

1. Meeting Chair
The meeting was chaired by Pat Fulton.

2. Project Coordinator Position
The draft job description was discussed at the April 7th meeting where a number of suggestions were made. The modified job posting was posted at UBC at the School of Social Work, the Department of Health Care and Epidemiology, and at the Institute of Health Promotion Research. As well, the posting was sent to potentially interested persons by Anne Kloppenborg.

Interested persons were instructed to FAX their interest and resume to Carol Smith by April 23rd. Only one application was submitted, an application from Patrick McGowan.

The Coordinating Committee offered the Project Coordinator position to Patrick McGowan. Patrick McGowan accepted the offer.

3. Coordinating Committee Terms of Reference
The draft Terms of Reference were reviewed and Committee members made three changes:

Under Accountability - Add
- in the first sentence, add "is responsible to ensure that the budget is spent appropriately"
- in the last sentence, add "in seeking the issues that impact the quality of life of seniors"

Under Responsibilities - Add
- To provide feedback to the seniors who were consulted.
- To ensure that we work in a respectful manner in listening to and reflecting back what is said by seniors.

Patrick will bring copies of the modified Terms of Reference to the next meeting.

4. Review of Previous Work
Committee members felt that a lot of work had already taken place in examining factors that affect the quality of life of seniors in Vancouver and elsewhere. It was agreed that this material should be reviewed. Anyone who is aware of an appropriate document is requested to forward it to Patrick.

5. Review of Project Time Lines
Committee members reviewed the project time lines and discussed the various activities that needed to take place at each stage.

6. Coordinating Committee Membership
The Committee felt that additional Coordinating Committee members were needed. Members suggested:

• Mohinder Grewal
• A senior from the PHAC
• A senior who is aboriginal

7. The Advisory Committee
Committee members suggested the following:

A - Seniors Organizations

• The Legion
• Cross Cultural Seniors Network (contact is Anne Kloppenborg)
• South Vancouver Neighbourhood House (Karen Larcombe)
• 411 Dunsmuir (Margaret Coates)
• SUCCESS (Lilian To)
• South Granville Seniors
• Terminal City Lawn Bowling Assoc.
• West End Seniors Network
• Jewish Community Centre (Lynn Kaplan)
• Marpole Place (Gwendolyn Reischman)
• Brock House (Amy Eustergirling)
• Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre
• Vancouver Second Mile (Margaret Green)
• Collingwood Neighbourhood House (Paula Carr)

B - Providers of Seniors-Related Services

• RAYCAM (Carole Brown)
• Multiculturism BC (Loma Wing)
• Adult Day Care (Pricare, Assoc. of Non-Profit Day Care)
• Advocates for Care Reform
• Continuing Care (contact is Sharon Martin)
• STAT Centre (Cathy Bell Irving)
• Seniors Wellness (contact is Sharon Martin)
• Parks Board (Carol Sogawa)
• BC Housing Foundation (Helen Colle)
• SHIP (Val MacDonald)

Patrick will send a letter to these organizations inviting them to be a member of the Advisory Committee.

8. Next Meeting
The next meeting will be on Thursday, May 27th at 9:30 AM at the West Main Health Unit.

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Present:Mary Brown, Mohinder Grewal, Mary Hill, Tom Kinloch, Anne Kloppenborg, Patrick McGowan, Simon Oosterhuis, Sabine Swierenga, Mish Vadasz.
Regrets: Patricia Fulton

1. Meeting Chair The meeting was chaired by Mary Hill.

2. Committee Resignation A letter of resignation from Carol Smith was received by Mary Hill. The letter was read and acknowledged.

3. New Committee Member A warm welcome was extended to Mohinder Grewal as a new committee member.

4. The Agenda was Approved. 5. Review of the Minutes of the April 29th meeting.
- In # 6, it should read "a senior from the Multicultural PHAC"
- Mish Vadasz, Mohinder Grewall, Mary Hill, Simon Oosterhuis requested that Minutes be mailed to them.
- Mary Brown had not received the e-mailed Minutes.

The minutes were accepted as corrected.

6. Terms of Reference The revised Terms of Reference were distributed.

One correction was made - Under Accountability...change "authority" to "Committee." The revised Terms of Reference were accepted as corrected. They will be dated and distributed at the next meeting.

7. Review of the Work-Plan
The Committee developed a "to do" list.

1. Collect and review prior research that has been in this area (i.e., who has already been asked about seniors' Quality of Life and what the results are).
2. Establish the Advisory Committee.
3. Meet with the Advisory Committee.
4. Explain "role" of Advisory Committee members to them
5. Determine which groups we will meet with.
6. Develop drafts of the questions that will be addressed in the seniors meetings

Considerations:

• How much involvement will Advisory Committee members have in developing the questions?
• How do we decide which groups we will meet with?
• Ensure that the Advisory Committee has people with links to cultural communities and seniors from each part of the city.
• Ensure that members of the Advisory Committee represent people who can provide grass- roots input.
• Interpretation services will be required (Vietnamese, Spanish, S. Asian.

8. Previous Research
Patrick distributed an article entitled "Population Health Promotion" which will be discussed by the committee at the next meeting. Patrick will also contact Ivan Brown to inquire about previous research investigating Quality of Life with seniors.

9. Progress of Establishing the Advisory Committee
Patrick had sent invitational letters to the organizations identified at the previous meeting. The letter had also included information about the project along with the Draft Terms of Reference for the Advisory Committee.

To date positive responses had been received from four organizations: SUCCESS, South Granville Seniors Centre, West End Seniors Network, and Brock House Society. Patrick will keep working on this.

The Committee suggested that Patrick speak to Karen Larcombe (South Vancouver Neighbourhood House) about an Indo-Canadian Advisory Committee member. As well, they suggested that MOSIAC be contacted about a member.

10. Project Budget
The Committee acknowledged that a computer and printer was not needed (these were available through Patrick's office) however, that funds would be needed for translation services. Patrick will explain this need to the Project Coordinator in Toronto.

Tom Kinloch agreed to serve as the Financial Administrator for the Vancouver project.

11. Discussion of Coordinator Position
Patrick initiated a discussion regarding the viability of him being both the university contact and the project coordinator. He expressed concern that if he served as the coordinator, committee members would be reluctant to participate in a meaningful capacity. Committee members assured him that they would be participating in "a meaningful capacity" and were comfortable with his role.

12. Next Meeting
The next meeting will be on Tuesday, June 22nd at 9:30 AM at the West Main Health Unit. Tom Kinloch agreed to chair the June 22nd meeting.

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Meeting of June 22nd , 1999

Present: Mary Brown, Mohinder Grewal, Mary Hill, Tom Kinloch, Anne Kloppenborg, Patrick McGowan.
Regrets: Patricia Fulton, Mish Vadasz, Simon Oosterhuis, Sabine Swiernga.

1. Meeting Chair
The meeting was chaired by Tom Kinloch.

2. The Meeting Agenda
It was reviewed and approved.

3. Review of the Minutes of the May 27th Meeting
The Minutes were accepted as distributed.

4. Coordinating Committee Terms of Reference
The revised Terms of Reference were distributed.

5. Advisory Committee Membership - Progress
The Advisory Committee has a current membership of 12 seniors, 2 persons from organizations which provide services to seniors, one person from the municipality (Anne), and one university rep (Patrick). Anne will invite another municipal employee (someone from the Parks Department, and Bonnie Lillies will find another service provider.

Advisory Committee membership

Seniors (7)

SUCCESS
Kelly Ip
28 West Pender Street
Vancouver, BC, V6B 1R6
FAX 899-3312
email Kellyip@sprint.ca

South Granville Seniors Network
Cyril Harrod
202 - 1260 W. 10th Ave
Vancouver, BC, V6H 1J3
732-3644

Second Mile Society
Eldon Jones
# 111, 118 Alexander Street
Vancouver, BC, V6A 3Y9
683-7116

West End Seniors Network Society
Jenny Shaw
West End Seniors Network Society
1447 Barclay Street
Vancouver, BC, V6G 1J6
669-5051

Jewish Community Centre
Annica Carlsson-Hyman
950 W 41st Avenue
Vancouver, BC, V5Z 2N7
257-5111 L 208

Brock House Society
Marjorie Welsh
2836 W 12th Ave
Vancouver, BC, V6K 2P9
738-6102

Marpole Place for Seniors
Thelma Bramwell
# 102 2133 W 42nd Ave
Vancouver, BC, V6M 2B7
264-5100

Betty Cumby
3640 Coquihalla Drive
Vancouver, BC, V5S 1M7
436-3453

Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre Society
Amy Eustergerling
5265 Empire Drive
North Burnaby, BC, V5B 1N1
868-5718 or 291-2002

South Vancouver Neighbourhood House
Kalwant Grewal
872 E 57th Ave
Vancouver, BC, V5X 1T5
323-9549 H
430-6373 W

411 Seniors Centre Society
Ivan Cummin
6145 Balsam Street
Vancouver, BC, V6M 4C4
261-7325
FAX 261-6431
e-mail ivaninac@home.com

Collingwood Neighbourhood House
Rhonda Townsend
5288 Joyce Street
Vancouver, BC, V5R 6C9
435-0323

Others - still considering

Royal Canadian Legion
Judy Stojanovski
3026 Arbutus Street
Vancouver, BC, V6J 4P7

University member (1)

Patrick McGowan
Institute of health Promotion Research
Rm 316 - LPC Building
2206 East Mall
Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3
822-9841

Municipality Members (2)

Anne Kloppenborg
City of Vancouver
453 W 12th Avenue
Vancouver BC, V5Y 1V4
871-6031

Service Providers (3)

Bonnie Lillies
Suite 200, 1770 West 7th Avenue
Vancouver, BC, V6J 4Y6
714-3454
bonnie_lillies@vrhb.bc.ca

Guninder Mumick
Multicultural health Educator
Vancouver/Richmond Health Board
730-7690
FAX 734-7897

The Committee suggested that additional seniors or representatives should be included:

• Lam Dong from the Vietnamese community
• a representative from Cross Reach Day Care

6. Review of Project Materials
The Committee discussed the following documents:

• Vancouver Cross Cultural Network Society "Building and Maintaining a Caring Community - Seniors Speak top Seniors'
• "Seniors Issues Questionnaire" from the Improving the Quality of life of Canadian Seniors Project
• "Population Health Promotion: An Integrated Model of Population Health and Health Promotion"
• Media from Mary Simpson at Community Health Promotion Network Atlantic.
• The Committee agreed to review the project proposal at the next meeting.

7. Focus Group Questions - Discussion and Process

1. A joint meeting with the Coordinating and Advisory Committees will be arranged for Monday, July 12th. Mish Vadasz will chair the meeting.
2. Meetings will be held with the following groups. Some people indicated they would like to assist with the meeting.


Senior Group Helpers (preliminary list)

1. Indo Canadian
   Patrick, student, Gulant, Mohinder, Preet
2. Chinese
   Patrick., student, Kelly Ip
3. First Nations
   Patrick, student, Mary Brown, Amy Eustergerling
4. Vietnamese
   Patrick, student, Lam Dang
5. Frail Seniors
   Patrick, student, Mary Hill
6. Seniors living in the higher SES area of Vancouver
   Patrick, student
7. Seniors living in a lower SES area of Vancouver
   Patrick, student

3. Meeting process. The Committee agreed that the groups would have the opportunity to define Quality of Life, identify things that were effecting Quality of Life, and what they think can be done about it.
   Different strategies may be needed with each group. The process will be worked out with members of the Advisory Committee.

8. Vancouver and National Budget
There are funds in the national budget for translation. Patrick will contact the national coordinator to indicate that funds will be needed in Vancouver.
Tom Kinloch reported that the project was proceeding within budget and finances were in order.
Patrick was asked to proceed with the process of purchasing a project computer.

9. Ethical Approval from UBC
Patrick has initiated the process for obtaining Ethical approval through the Office of Research Services at UBC.

10. Other Business
Mohinder provided information and materials on International year of the Older Person.
The Committee agreed that Minutes be distributed to the National Committee.
Committee members are encouraged to make presentations on the project at Conferences and Scientific Meetings.

11. Next Meeting
The next meeting will be on Monday, August 12th at 2 PM at the West Main Health Unit. Mary Brown will chair this meeting.

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Meeting of August 9th, 1999

Present: Mary Brown, Mohinder Grewal, Mary Hill, Tom Kinloch, Pat Fulton, Simon Oosterhuis, Sabine Swiernga, Mish Vadasz. Patrick McGowan. Regrets: Anne Kloppenborg.

1. Meeting Chair
The meeting was chaired by Mary Brown.

2. The Meeting Agenda
The Agenda was approved as circulated.

3. Review of the Minutes of the June 22nd Meeting
The Minutes were accepted as corrected: 

11. Next Meeting. The next meeting will be on Monday, August 9th not August 12th.

4. Advisory Committee Membership - Progress
Patrick provided an update on membership. There were two new members: Marsha Bergen of Cross Reach Adult Day Care, and Brian Coldwells of the Royal Canadian Legion.

Anne K. had agreed to invite another municipal employee (someone from the Parks Department), and Bonnie Lillies had agreed to find another service provider.

5. General Discussion of Project.
This discussion had been requested at the previous Coordinating Committee meeting. To facilitate discussion Patrick provided a handout of project objectives and activities. The Committee reviewed each activity and commented whether it had been accomplished, whether it was ongoing, or whether additional work was needed. Patrick will send a progress report to the national committee.

Project Public Relations Members will bring copies of community newspapers to the next meeting. The committee agreed that a public awareness campaign on the project should be initiated. As well, this subject will be discussed with members of the Advisory Committee.

Mary Brown agreed to provide Vancouver updates to the national office for the project web site.

6. Discussion of July 12th Meeting with the Advisory Committee.
Committee members agreed that participants were enthusiastic and interested in participating. Several members had volunteered to be helpers at the meetings:

 

Meeting	Persons who Expressed Interest to Participating in the Meeting
Indo-Canadian Meeting	Patrick, (the student), Kulwant, Mohinder, Preet, Guninder, Thelma
Chinese Meeting	Patrick, (the student), Kelly, Eldon, Guninder, Thelma
First Nations Meeting	Patrick, (the student), Amy, Mary B., Guninder, Mish, Thelma
Vietnamese Meeting	Patrick, (the student), Dam, Guninder, Thelma
Frail Seniors Meeting	Patrick, (the student), Mary Hill, Tom, Marjorie, Thelma, Pat F.
East Side Meeting	Patrick, (the student), Betty, Mish, Thelma
West Side Meeting	Patrick , (the student), Jenny, Marjorie, Ivan, Pat F.

7. Planning for the Meeting with Advisory Committee members on September 8th.
This meeting will take place at 2 PM on September 8th at the West Main Health Unit.

The Committee agreed to the following principles:

• paper and pencil questionnaires/tests would not be used in the group meetings
• a focus group meeting format will be followed
• use a group format that allowed equal participation from all attendees
• not too many helpers would attend the meetings (don't want to overwhelm the group)
• the meetings will not be taped (instead - extensive notes will be taken).

The key elements that needed to be explored at the meetings were:

• what things contributed to their quality of life
• what things were threatening their quality of life
• what things were helping to maintain their quality of life

Mish Vadasz chaired the July 12th joint meeting with the Advisory Committee. Committee members felt that to be consistent it would be good if Mish could chair the second meeting as well. Mish agreed to chair the meeting.

7. Review of Group Meeting Consent Form.
To obtain Ethical approval, each participant in the focus groups would need to sign a Consent Form. The Committee agreed to use the following form (attached).

8. Other Business

1. Tom gave a brief update on the project's budget status. To date total project cost in Vancouver is $2,875. As well, a project computer has been purchased (this expense comes out of a different budget).
2. Mary Hill discussed the results of a project where interviews were conducted with hard to reach seniors. She provided a handout (attached).
3. There was discussion on seeing whether it was possible to involve a Social Work student in the project as part of his/her practicum. Patrick agreed to investigate this with the School of Social Work.

9. Next Coordinating Committee Meeting
The next Coordinating Committee meeting will be at 10 AM on Monday, September 20th (same place). Sabine agreed to chair this meeting.

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Present: Mohinder Grewal, Mary Hill, Tom Kinloch, Mish Vadasz. Patrick McGowan. Anne Kloppenborg
Regrets: Mary Brown, Pat Fulton, Sabine Swiernga, Simon Oosterhuis

1. Meeting Chair
The meeting was chaired by Mary Hill

2. The Meeting Agenda
The Agenda was approved as circulated.

3. Review of the Minutes of the June 22nd Meeting
The Minutes were accepted as corrected: "Lam Dam" not "Dam Lam"

4. Combined Coordinating and Advisory Committee Meeting - Discussion
The second combined meeting with the Advisory Committee was held on September 8th with 15 participants and Mish Vadasz had chaired this meeting. The purpose of having this combined meeting was to provide an opportunity for Advisory Committee members to discuss the project and become more comfortable in organizing the seniors meetings.

Several Advisory Committee members who had attended the First meeting on August 9th did not attend this second meeting, and there were four new members: Marsha Bergen (Director) Jim Nielson and Edward __, from Cross Reach Adult Day Care, and Zung Trinh who was replacing Lam Dam.

Coordinating Committee members who had attended this meeting felt Advisory Committee members were more comfortable with the project and that there had been worthwhile dialogue.

Seven persons were designated as "key persons" who would take leading roles in organizing the seniors meetings: Kewant, Kelly, Amy, Zung, Marsha, Eldon, and Marjorie. These persons would contact Patrick as soon as a meeting date was set. At this time Patrick would meet with each person to review the meeting process.

The Committee agreed that the following focus group questions should be used:

• "What things affect your life, for better or worse?"
• "Which of these does government have some influence over?"
• "What can be done to make this better?"

Patrick will write-up a guide to assist the groups conduct the meeting.

5. Meetings with Service Providers and Municipal Staff.
A) Service Providers (2 meetings) Patrick will set the dates and invite staff from organizations similar to the organizations that Advisory Committee members come from.

B) Municipal Staff (1 meeting).Patrick will set a date an invite professional staff from the municipality and Regional Health Board.

6. Project Budget.
Tom reported that the project was operating according to budget.

7. Other Business
A) Committee members agreed to invite Lillian Baaske (Federal Government) to join the Coordinating Committee. Patrick will inquire whether she is interested and able to join the Coordinating Committee.

B) Please bring examples of community newspapers, newsletters, and other media commonly read by seniors.

9. Next Coordinating Committee Meeting The next Coordinating Committee meeting will be at 10 AM on Thursday, November 18th in Room 106. Sabine will chair this meeting.

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Meeting of November 18th, 1999

Present: Mohinder Grewal, Mary Hill, Tom Kinloch, Mish Vadasz. Patrick McGowan, Anne Kloppenborg, Sabine Swiernga, Mary Brown, Lillian Baaske, Sharon Koehn.

Regrets: Pat Fulton, Simon Oosterhuis

1. Meeting Chair

The meeting was chaired by Sabine Swiernga.

2. The Meeting Agenda

The Agenda was approved as circulated.

3. Review of the Minutes of the September 20th Meeting

The Minutes were accepted as circulated.

4. New Committee Member - Lillian Baaske

Committee members welcomed Lillian to the Committee. Lillian has several years experience working with seniors' issues with New Horizons, and in her current job as a program consultant.

5. Introduction of Sharon Koehn

Sharon Koehn joins the team as the research assistant. She will help conduct the focus group meetings and prepare the findings. Sharon's conducted her doctoral research using qualitative research methods and has worked with seniors groups in Vancouver.

6. Focus Group Meetings - Progress

Patrick and Sharon described the eight meetings that have been conducted to date.

a) The Indo-Canadian meeting should take place within the next two weeks. Representatives from the MILAP group in Richmond and the Delta/South Surrey group will be invited.

b) Patrick will follow-up with Amy Eustergerling regarding the First Nations meeting.

c) Another "Service Providers" meeting will be arranged (to be held on a Wednesday).

d) Another meeting for "east side" seniors will be arranged.

7. Next Steps

The Committee agreed that a combined meeting involving the Steering and Advisory Committees and interested participants should take place during January. The purpose of this meeting will be to:

• provide feedback to focus group participants
• stimulate interaction amongst the groups who participated
• encourage participants to volunteer to work in specific areas of interest

The meeting will take place on Wednesday, January 26^th at 10 AM. Anne will find a central location for the meeting.

8. Ethical Approval from UBC

Patrick reported that The University of Toronto, the applicant, had received ethical approval for the research. Ethical approval was not necessary from UBC because UBC was not administering the project budget, but Patrick wanted to get approval from UBC because this is standard practice in all research. UBC did grant ethical approval.

In the research process, there are two important processes that must be followed: 1) the information about the focus group must be mailed or faxed to participants before they are contacted by telephone; and 2) participants need to sign consent forms. The first process was followed, but seniors who participated in the groups did not sign consent forms (only Service Providers and the Professional signed the forms). The contact persons who arranged the meetings requested that consent forms not be distributed to the seniors. They believed that seniors would not complete them and it would distract them from participating in the meeting. Patrick will inform the UBC Ethics Committee.

9. General Discussion of Project

a)Coordinating Committee members will participate in a Focus Group meeting scheduled for Wednesday, December 8 at 1 PM in Room 106. Mary Hill will inform Pat Fulton and Simon Oosterhuis about the meeting.

b) Preliminary results will be distributed to Committee members after the December 8^th meeting.

c) There is a need to keep informed of the activities taking place following the Seniors Summit.

d) Patrick will find out who the project consultant from Health Canada is and inform Lillian.

10. Budget Status

Tom Kinloch gave a budget update and reported that the project is within budget.

11. Next Coordinating Committee Meeting

The next Coordinating Committee meeting will be at 1 PM on Wednesday December 8^th in Room 106. The committee will engage in a focus group.

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Advisory and Co-ordinating Committees

Present:
Co-ordinating Committee: Mary Brown , Mohinder Grewal, Mary Hill, Tom Kinloch, Anne Kloppenborg, Sharon Koehn, Patrick McGowan,.
Regrets:Pat Fulton, Simon Oosterhuis, Sabine Swiernga, Mish Vadasz.

Advisory Committee: Lee Ma, William Kwong, Amy Eustergerling, Lam Dam, Guninder Mumick

1. Meeting Chair
The meeting was chaired by Mary Brown.

2. The Meeting Agenda
The Agenda was approved as circulated.

3. Project Overview and Progress
Patrick described the Vancouver project, one of eight cities across Canada participating in the project. He reviewed: how the Co-ordinating and Advisory Committees were established; how the seniors groups for focus group meetings had been selected; the focus group meeting process; how the information would be analysed; and the future steps that would be taken when the information from the focus groups had been analysed.

4. Meetings with Seniors Groups and Care Providers
During October, November, and December, 12 focus group meetings were held involving 208 persons. The meetings included: 8 with seniors groups, 2 with service providers, 1 with health care professionals, and 1 with the Co-ordinating committee.

5. Results
Sharon Koehn, the project research assistant, described the process used to summarize the information obtained at the focus group meetings. She then reviewed the Summary Report, giving examples and detail regarding the themes.

6. Next Steps
Several suggestions were made by members of both the Co-ordinating and Advisory Committees including:

• Sending the Report to Vancouver/Richmond Health Board
• Sending the Report to the MLS's
• Sending the Report to the Provincial Seniors Advisory Committee
• Sending the Report to the group from The Seniors Summit

There was agreement that more planning was needed and this needed to be discussed in more detail at the next Co-ordinating Committee meeting. As well, several members of the Co-ordinating Committee members were unable to attend this meeting and their input would be valuable.

The committee agreed that the following actions should be taken immediately:

1. Review the data to flesh out and provide examples of the last seven themes.
2. Send letters to all participants informing them that we are reviewing the information and will be in touch with them as soon as we can. Include the information from their focus group meeting (if applicable) and a copy of the Summary Report.
3. Write a letter to the people involved with The Seniors Summit explaining our project and what we've come up with so far.

9. Next Co-ordinating Committee Meeting
The next meeting will be at 10 AM, Tuesday March 7, in Room 341 in the Pacific Spirit Building.

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Present: Pat Fulton, Mohinder Grewal, Mary Hill, Tom Kinloch, Anne Kloppenborg, Patrick McGowan,. Simon Oosterhuis, Mish Vadasz, Romeo Colobong (student from Eric Hamber School "Partners at Work Program"
Regrets: Lillian Baaske, Mary Brown, Sabine Swiernga,.

Committee members expressed a sincere "Thank You" to Sharon Koehn for the excellent work she did and also wanted to send her a card (and gift) for her and baby. Patrick agreed to take care of this.

1. Meeting Chair
Tom Kinloch chaired the meeting.

2. The Meeting Agenda
The Agenda was approved as circulated.

3. Follow-up of February 2nd Meeting
Committee members who attended the February 2nd meeting felt that Advisory Committee members were quite impressed with the work completed and generally positive about the potential impact of the project. There were several suggestions regarding the next steps. Patrick reported that the following activities had been carried out: * The raw data was reviewed to provide examples for the last seven themes * Feedback of group meetings and Summary Reports had been sent to 30 groups * Contact was made with the people involved with The Seniors Summit explaining our project, what we've come up, and if collaboration was possible. * The Summary Report and raw data had been sent to the Toronto project co-ordinator.

4. Project Budget Status
Tom reported on the project's finances. Not counting the co-ordinator's monthly salary, there is approximately $3500 remaining (this amount includes the $1500 earmarked for Production and Dissemination of the Final Report).

5. Planning the Next Steps in the Project
The committee agreed that the following steps should be taken:

1. A delegation of the Committee should appear before the Vancouver/Richmond Health Board Seniors PHAC
2. The participating groups should be contacted to arrange a follow-up meeting. At the meeting, the results would be presented and a description of what the Co-ordinating Committee is planning to do would be described. As well, each group will be asked what they could do themselves to address the issues.
3. Committee members will review the raw data to identify areas that need to be investigated.
4. The Summary Report will be enhanced to provide background information and the processes taken (this will allow readers to get the full picture).
5. The Summary Report needs to be segmented into issue areas (with examples) along with the suggestions on how the issues can be addressed.

Patrick agreed to speak to Ivan Brown to inquire whether we should submit reports to federal level departments and officials or whether they should be sent as a package involving several sites.

Also, Patrick agreed to communicate with Gerri Hinton, Ian Wadell, Lillian Baaske, and the president (Ruth Schriller??) of the National Council on Aging about the findings and to elicit their opinions regarding what steps should be taken to address the identified issues.

There was discussion about sending the report to the MLA's but no decision was taken.

6. Next Co-ordinating Committee Meeting
The next meeting will be at 10 AM, Tuesday April 11, 2000, in Room 341 in the Pacific Spirit Building.

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Present: Lillian Baaske, Mary Brown, Patricia Fulton, Mary Hill, Anne Kloppenborg, Patrick McGowan, Simon Oosterhuis, Mish Vadasz.

Regrets: Mohinder Grewal, Tom Kinloch, Sabine Swierenga

1. Meeting Chair

Pat Fulton chaired the meeting.

2. Minutes of March 7^th Meeting

The minutes were approved as circulated.

3. Follow-up on Actions

At the previous committee meeting it was agreed that the following steps should be taken:

1. A delegation of the Committee should appear before the Vancouver/Richmond Health Board Seniors PHAC

This has been scheduled for April 19^th at 9:15 AM (2450 Ontario – at 8th).

2. The participating groups should be contacted to arrange follow-up meetings. At the meeting, the results would be presented and a description of what the Co-ordinating Committee is planning to do would be described. As well, each group will be asked what they could do themselves to address the issues.

A letter has been sent to all the groups. To date the Jewish Community centre has responded, and a meeting will be arranged.

3. Committee members will review the raw data to identify areas that need to be investigated.

The Following areas were identified:

• The findings indicated a broad range of diversity in the ways seniors conceptualize "Quality of Life".
• Interface between seniors and health and social service agencies. Seniors do not know what is available, have difficulty finding out what is available, perceive staff as not being friendly and are treated differently because they are seniors. As well, due to events in the past, seniors may be fearful of government and mistrustful of government.
• Single room occupancies in the downtown area. Initially cleaning had been included as part of the rent but in many cases has been discontinued resulting in unsanitary conditions. As well, no one monitors (checks up) on the seniors living alone in the rooms. There is a possibility that seniors may become sick, will not be able to access care, and will be unattended and unnoticed.
• A feeling amongst seniors that their involvement on boards and committees is merely tokenism.
• The lack of amenities (particularly bathrooms and benches) negatively affects the independence of seniors.
• Difficulties that seniors in the downtown area experience with medications, especially medication for pain. Some seniors sell their medications to purchase other drugs, and some doctors will not prescribe medications to these seniors. The result is that there are some seniors who cannot get medication for pain.
• Sizes and dosages of medications. Seniors experience difficulty in having to cut their pills in order to follow the prescribed medication regimen.
• The cost of burial services. Persons who receive income assistance receive a fixed allowance to cover the cost of burial services. This is a minimal amount. Families prefer to have a more dignified service and would like to spend more money. However, spending more than the fixed rate would contravene the income assistance policy.
• Nutrition. Food and diet are an integral component to one’s quality of life. Menus within care facilities sometimes do not take preferences and ethnicity into account in meal preparation.

1. The Summary Report will be enhanced to provide background information and the processes taken (this will allow readers to get the full picture).

There has been no progress on this activity.

2. The Summary Report needs to be segmented into issue areas (with examples) along with the suggestions on how the issues can be addressed.

No progress on this activity.

3. Speak to Ivan Brown about making contact with federal departments and officials.

Ivan agreed that a co-ordinated approach would be best. However, he had not begun to think about the action part of the project as timing was a bit of a problem. Some of the projects were just getting their focus groups going, and Regina had finished its report and sent it in. Ivan will contact the whole group shortly to ask about this. At present all the results from the study are being put on the Website.

4. Speak with Gerri Hinton, Ian Wadell, Lillian Baaske, and Ruth Schiller of the National Council on Aging about the findings to elicit their opinions regarding what steps should be taken to address the identified issues.

This has been accomplished. A major concern expressed by these individuals is to make sure that we have a clear concise message to present as well as a clear request.

4. Presentation to the Seniors PHAC on April 19^th at 9:15 AM.

Mary Hill, Mish Vadasz, and Patrick McGowan will make the presentation on behalf of the Co-ordinating Committee. Patrick will prepare a one-page project summary for PHAC members to read prior to the meeting.

The committee agreed that each issue/concern would be accompanied by an "action" statement.

I - Interface between seniors and health and social service agencies. Seniors do not know what is available, have difficulty finding out what is available, and perceive staff as unfriendly and that they are treated differently because they are seniors. As well, due to events in the past, seniors may be fearful and mistrustful of government.

Action Statement:

We know that this particular issue is one shared by the Seniors PHAC and we want
to recognize and commend members for their efforts to date in continuing to bring this issue to the attention of the Board and others.

Our findings in this project indicate that barriers to seniors' access to services and information continue to be a preoccupation and concern to seniors. We would like to explore ways that this project data and the connections that we have established could support or strengthen the PHAC's work in this area.

II - The feeling amongst seniors that their involvement on boards and committees is merely tokenism.

Action Statement:

We know that this is an issue faced by PHAC members themselves...to have a real and contributing role in decision-making in committees, boards, etc. The information we have collected in the focus groups tells us this is an area where more awareness raising and action are required. We all have to continue to promote a real and credible role for the voice and participation of seniors and would like to know how we might support the Committee in its efforts.

III - The findings indicate there is a broad range of diversity in the ways seniors conceptualize "Quality of Life".

In our research we purposively sought to hear from seniors from different social, cultural, and economic backgrounds. We saw that there was a wide range of diversity in how seniors perceive "quality of life".

Action Statement:

We commend VRHB efforts in trying to ensure there is involvement from a broad range of groups in the community. In its ongoing work in making "community health" relevant in the community, it is important to keep getting that diversity in all participatory processes.

IV – These 3 concerns will be brought to the City of Vancouver

1 - Single room occupancies in the downtown area. Initially cleaning had been included as part of the rent but in many cases has been discontinued resulting in unsanitary conditions. As well, no one monitors (checks up) on the seniors living alone in the rooms. There is a possibility that seniors may become sick, will not be able to access care, and will be unattended and unnoticed.

2 - Difficulties that seniors in the downtown area experience with medications, especially medication for pain. Some seniors sell their medications to purchase other drugs, and some doctors will not prescribe medications to these seniors. As a result there are some seniors who cannot get medications to manage their pain.

3 - The lack of amenities (particularly bathrooms and benches) negatively affects the independence of seniors.

Action Statement:

Inform the Seniors PHAC that our committee will be presenting these concerns to the City of Vancouver Seniors Advisory Committee in the near future.

V - Size and dosages of medications. Seniors experience difficulty in having to cut their pills in order to follow the prescribed medication regimen (e.g., senior is prescribed 10 mg. of drug X whereas the smallest dosage available is 20 mg. tablet.)

Action Statement:

That the chairperson of the Seniors PHAC write a letter to the chairperson of the Provincial "Excellence in Health Seniors Medication Strategy Committee" to inform them of this finding and to inquire whether this was a prevalent problem among seniors, and whether anything could be done to address the problem.

6. Next Co-ordinating Committee Meeting

The next meeting will be at 10 AM, Tuesday, May 16^th in Room 105 in the Pacific Spirit Building.

Minutes prepared by Patrick McGowan

April 11, 2000

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PRESENT: Mary Brown, Patricia Fulton, Mohinder Grewal, Mary Hill, Tom Kinloch, Anne Kloppenborg, Patrick McGowan, Simon Oosterhuis, Mish Vadasz.
REGRETS: Lillian Baaske.
Sabine Swierenga has moved out of Vancouver and informed Patrick that she has decided to resign from the Coordinating Committee.

1. MEETING CHAIR
Mary Brown chaired the meeting.

2. MEETING AGENDA
Three items were added to the agenda: Process Evaluation, Volunteer Recognition Award.

3. MINUTES OF APRIL 11TH MEETING
The minutes were approved as circulated.

4. FOLLOW-UP ON ACTIONS
a) Committee Delegation that appeared before the Vancouver/Richmond Health Board Seniors PHAC on April 19th at 9:15 AM. (Mary Hill, Mish Vadasz, and Patrick McGowan).

• The delegation was well received
• A 2-person sub-committee has been established to review all the information and advise the Seniors PHAC on what action(s) were needed
• The Seniors PHAC will equate what we are doing with their objectives to see how useful the information and process is to their ongoing work.
• The Seniors PHAC is willing to help.
• The chair of the Seniors PHAC will send a letter to the chair of the Excellence in Health: Seniors Medication Strategy re: medication dosage sizes. (Patrick agreed to draft the letter).
• Re: the high cost of burials - The Seniors PHAC chair will send a letter to Margaret Leyland, chair of the BC Seniors Advisory Committee.
• The VRHB Seniors PHAC progress document outlining on addressing seniors issues will be sent to Advisory Committee members and to groups that participated in the focus groups, because progress is being made on some of the issues seniors had identified.

b) Presentation to City of Vancouver Seniors Advisory Committee.
A Coordinating Committee delegation will be making a presentation to the City of Vancouver Advisory Committee on June 30th. The meeting is from 9:30 to 12 in Committee Room 1 in City Hall. Patrick will send documentation to prepare the Advisory Committee. As well, Patrick will try to involve some of the seniors and program staff in the downtown eastside area to participate in preparing and giving the presentation. The issues previously identified by the Committee were:

• Single room occupancies in the downtown area. Initially cleaning had been included as part of the rent but in many cases has been discontinued resulting in unsanitary conditions. As well, no one monitors (checks up) on the seniors living alone in the rooms. There is a possibility that seniors may become sick, will not be able to access care, and will be unattended and unnoticed.
• The lack of amenities (particularly bathrooms and benches) negatively affects the independence of seniors.
• Difficulties that seniors in the downtown area experience with medications, especially medication for pain. Some seniors sell their medications to purchase other drugs, and some doctors will not prescribe medications to these seniors. The result is that there are some seniors who cannot get medication for pain.

c) Follow-up on the Seniors Summit. The working groups will be submitting their actions plans to the larger committee shortly. These will be distributed to Committee members, and will be reviewed at the next meeting.

d) Segmented Report.
Patrick will work on this.

e) Follow-up meetings with seniors groups.
A meeting with the Jewish Community Centre has been scheduled.

5. MARY HILL'S RECENT TRIP TO OTTAWA.
Mary is a member of a national committee involved in preparing a "Guide for End of Life for Seniors." She was able to 'refer to' and 'fall back on' on what we have learned in the Quality of Life Project.

Palliative Care will be discussed at the next Coordinating Committee meeting.

6. COMMITTEE MEMBER INVOLVEMENT IN COMMUNITY ACTIVITY
The Committee agreed that its networking capacity needed to be included in the process evaluation framework. Therefore, each Committee member is requested to prepare a brief (1 or 2 pages) outline of his/her involvement in community activities, (particularly related to seniors issues) and bring it to the next meeting.

7. VOLUNTEER RECOGNITION AWARD
On behalf of the Coordinating Committee Patrick will send a card of congratulations to Kay Stovold.

8. NEXT CO-ORDINATING COMMITTEE MEETING
The next meeting will be at 10 AM, Tuesday, June 20 in Room 105 in the Pacific Spirit Building.

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PRESENT:Mary Brown, Patricia Fulton, Mary Hill, Patrick McGowan, Simon Oosterhuis, Mish Vadasz.
REGRETS:Lillian Baaske. Mohinder Grewal, Tom Kinloch, Anne Kloppenborg

1. MEETING CHAIR
Mary Hill chaired the meeting.

2. MEETING AGENDA
The agenda was approved as it was.

3. MINUTES OF THE MAY 16TH MEETING
There was a spelling mistake - Margaret "Neyland" not "Leyland". The minutes were approved as amended.

4. FOLLOW-UP OF THE MINUTES
- A letter from the Chair of the Vancouver/Richmond Health Board was sent to the chair of the Excellence in Health, Seniors Medication Strategy Committee expressing concerns about the dosages of certain medications.
- A letter was sent to Margaret Neyland, chair of the BC Seniors Advisory Committee expressing concerns regarding the costs of burials.

5. PRESENTATION TO CITY OF VANCOUVER SENIORS ADVISORY COMMITTEE
The presentation is scheduled for 10:45 on Friday, June 30 in Committee Room 1 at City Hall, but members should get there earlier. Mary Hill, Tom Kinloch, Mish Vadasz (is she is available) and Patrick McGowan will represent the Coordinating Committee. As well, Patrick will meet with seniors from the downtown area to get a delegation of them to participate in the presentation.

The Coordinating Committee agreed to focus on two main concerns expressed by seniors in the focus group meetings:
1. Single room occupancies in the downtown area. Initially cleaning had been included as part of the rent but in many cases has been discontinued resulting in unsanitary conditions. As well, no one monitors (checks up) on the seniors living alone in the rooms. There is a possibility that seniors may become sick, will not be able to access care, and will be unattended and unnoticed.

The goal of presenting this issue is to:

• Inform the Advisory Committee that this was still a concern;
• Inquire about the status of seniors in single room occupancies in the downtown area;
• Inquire if there are strategies or programs presently underway to address this problem; and
• Inquire about the status of the strategies (i.e., whether they are being successful or need to be modified).

The lack of amenities (particularly bathrooms and benches) negatively affects the independence of seniors.

The goal is to:

• Inquire whether the city had specific policies or standards with regard to benches and bathrooms;
• Inform Advisory Committee members that this concern was expressed in our focus group meetings;
• Inquire whether civic policies and standards have been reviewed and updated to reflect the needs of the aging population;
• Suggest that a subcommittee be established to investigate current needs and solutions; and
• Offer to assist with this task.

6. FOLLOW-UP ON THE SENIORS SUMMIT
The working groups submitted their actions plans to the larger committee shortly. A copy is attached with the minutes.

7. PALLIATIVE CARE
There was a lively discussion on the adequacy of palliative care in BC facilities. Simon agreed to make inquiries regarding: definitions of palliative care; criteria for eligibility; how much palliative care is available to seniors in facilities; and what the current concerns and issues are. He will report his findings at the next meeting.

8. COMMITTEE MEMBER INVOLVEMENT IN COMMUNITY ACTIVITY
The Committee agreed that its networking capacity needed to be included in the process evaluation framework. Therefore, each Committee member is requested to prepare a brief (1 or 2 pages) outline of his/her involvement in community activities, (particularly related to seniors issues) and bring it to the next meeting.

9. VOLUNTEER RECOGNITION AWARD
Kay Stovold had contacted several members of the Coordinating Committee to thank them for the card.

10. ADVISORY COMMITTEE INVOLVEMENT
Patrick will send letters of invitation for all Advisory Committee members to participate in the next meeting.

11. FEDERAL CONCERNS
Committee members will review the findings to identify concerns that should be directed to federal officials. This will take place at the next meeting.

12. PRESENTATION TO VANCOUVER/RICHMOND HEALTH BOARD
The Committee agreed to discuss this at the next meeting.

13. NEXT CO-ORDINATING COMMITTEE MEETING
The next meeting will be at 10 AM, Tuesday, July 11th in Room 105 in the Pacific Spirit Building.

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PRESENT: Lillian Baaske, Mary Brown, Mohinder Grewal, Mary Hill, Tom Kinloch, Patrick McGowan, Simon Oosterhuis, Mish Vadasz.

Annica Carlsson-Hyman - Jewish Communiuty Centre
Kelly Ip - SUCCESS
Don Velie - Crossreach Programs for Seniors
Kalwant Grewal - South Vancouver Neighbour House
Guninder Mumick - Vancouver/Richmond Health Board
Bonnie Lillies - Vancouver/Richmond Health Board

REGRETS: Patricia Fulton, Anne Kloppenborg

1. MEETING CHAIR
Mish Vadasz chaired the meeting.

2. MEETING AGENDA
The agenda was approved as it was.

3. MINUTES OF THE MAY 16TH MEETING
The minutes were approved as circulated.

4. REVIEW OF PROJECT PROGRESS
Patrick provided a review of the project:

• It is a two-year project
• The first year was used to plan and implement focus group meetings with seniors to inquire about the things that influenced their quality of life
• Both a Co-ordinating and an Advisory Committee was established
• Twelve focus group meetings were held involving 201 seniors
• The results were analysed
• The second phase of the project (which started in March) is to initiate action to address issues identified by seniors
• Several activities have been completed so far:
  1. Sent findings to involved groups (n=12), to interested persons (n=70), to selected community leaders (n=10)
  2. The findings were placed on the project web site
  3. Reviewed findings to determine action that needed to be taken immediately. Selected actions included:
     1. a presentation to the Vancouver/Richmond Seniors PHAC Committee focusing on: (a)the interface between seniors and the health care administration; (b)the cost of burials in ethnic communities for seniors receiving income assistance; and (c) the inappropriate dosage size of certain medications.
     2. a presentation to the City of Vancouver Seniors Advisory Committee which focussed on two main issues identified by seniors in the focus groups: a) the lack of accessible benches and bathrooms for seniors; and the situation in downtown regarding single room occupancies.
• Future activity identified by the Committee includes: a) making feedback presentations to seniors who participated in the focus group meetings; b) identifying issues that are provincial and developing action plans to address them; c) identifying federal issues and developing strategies on how they can be addressed.
• A final report detailing activity in both phases of the project will be written at the end of the project. As well, the findings report will be segmented into the different topic areas - this will assist the Committee to develop action plans.

5. DISCUSSION OF PRESENTATION TO CITY OF VANCOUVER SENIORS ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON JUNE 30TH
Mary Hill, Tom Kinloch, and Patrick participated in the presentation along with two members of the Seniors Advisory Committee (George and Pierre) of the Carnagie Centre and Eldon Jones of the Vancouver Second Mile Society. The presentation was well received and Advisory Committee members had several questions concerning the focus group findings. The Project Co-ordinating Committee had planned that the major focus of the presentation would be on two issues: the lack of specific amenities (i.e., benches and washrooms for seniors), and the dreadful condition of single room occupancies in the downtown area of Vancouver.

Councillor Sandy McCormick, who is a member of the Seniors Advisory Committee, informed the group that the lack of amenities had been identified to City Council in 1988 and they had commissioned a study to investigate the situation. Recently, the study had been completed and submitted to City Council. At the present time, community groups are being asked to review the report and offer comments.
ACTION: Patrick will inquire about the best ways for the Committee to provide input and/or comment to the draft report.

With respect to the concerns regarding the situation on single room occupancies in the downtown area, the Seniors Advisory requested that we provide specific recommendations.
ACTION: Patrick will meet with the groups who had identified this problem to develop recommendations for the Co-ordinating Committee's consideration.

6. PALLIATIVE CARE FOLLOW-UP
Simon Oosterhuis gave a brief report on what he was able to ascertain regarding the situation involving palliative care in Vancouver. The Committee still had questions on specific aspects of Palliative Care in Vancouver.
ACTION: Patrick will ask the Palliative Care representative from the Vancouver/Richmond Health Board to attend the next meeting to provide the information.

7. SENIOR'S NUTRITION RESEARCH PROJECT
Patrick circulated a letter of invitation to participate in a senior's nutrition study. The study is being undertaken by Sharon Koehn and Beverly Grice, and is being sponsored by several groups, including the Vancouver/Richmond health Board. Interested persons were asked to contact Sharon Koehn. The Committee was pleased that this project is an indirect follow-up on one of the issues which had been identified in the focus group meetings.

8. FOCUS GROUP FINDINGS THAT HAVE FEDERAL RESPONSIBILITY
Committee members had agreed to review the findings of the focus group meetings to identify issues that the federal government has responsibility over. This item was postponed to the next meeting. Committee members agreed that a co-ordinated effort was needed to ensure the findings had an impact at the federal level, and that the study co-ordinator (Ivan Brown) needed to ensure that an effective strategy is developed and implemented.

9. PROJECT BUDGET STATUS
Tom Kinloch circulated a one-page budget status report. The Committee accepted the report and thanked Tom for his efforts in monitoring the budget.

10. COMMITTEE MEMBERS' COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
At an earlier Committee Meeting, members had decided that each member's individual involvement in community activity should be recorded as it would provide credibility to the project. To date summaries have been received from: Mary Brown, Mary Hill, Mohinder Grewal, and Mish Vadasz.

11. NEXT STEPS
At the next Committee meeting members will continue to work on the activities that they had already planned (e.g., identify federal and provincial level issues and strategies on how they can be addressed).

12. NEXT MEETING
The next meeting will be at 10 AM, September 19th in Room 105 in the Pacific Spirit Building. Members of the Advisory will be invited to attend.

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Vancouver Coordinating and Advisory Committees

Meeting of September 19th, 2000

1. MEETING CHAIR
Mary Hill chaired the meeting.

2. MEETING AGENDA
The agenda was approved as it was.

3. MINUTES OF THE JULY 11TH MEETING
The minutes were approved as circulated.

4. COMMITTEE MEMBERS
The Committee acknowledged that both Tom Kinloch and Mary Brown were experiencing health problems and wished them best wishes and a speedy recovery.

5. NATIONAL AND PROVINCIAL ACTION
Mish and Anne reported on the meeting with Ivan Brown. Both felt it was an informative and worthwhile meeting. The topic of "national action" was discussed.

6. PRESENTATION TO THE VANCOUVER/RICHMOND HEALTH BOARD
Committee members discussed whether there was a need to make a presentation to the Health Board. Specifically, was the presentation to the Seniors PHAC adequate, or was did we need to appear in front of the Board itself. Generally, members felt the Seniors PHAC presentation was adequate. However, after reviewing the findings, members may reconsider this topic.

7. CORRESPONDENCE WITH LEADERS OF POLITICAL PARTIES
The Committee discussed the potential effectiveness of corresponding with leaders of the Federal and Provincial and Municipal parties re: the findings from the focus group meetings. Pat Fulton agreed to bring a list of party leaders to the next meeting.

8. SENDING THE SUMMARY REPORT TO MUNICIPAL STAFF
Bonnie Lillies will send names of key Health Board staff to Patrick. Patrick will write to them explaining the project, the activities, the accomplished and planned action, and a copy of the Summary Report.

9. NATIONAL WEBSITE ADDRESS
The web site address is: http://www.utoronto.ca/seniors.  Committee members should review the information on this web site.

10. SEGMENTED REPORTS
Patrick will prepare these ASAP.

11. COMMITTEE MEMBERS' COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
At an earlier Committee Meeting, members had decided that each member's individual involvement in community activity should be recorded as it would provide credibility to the project. To date summaries have been received from: Mary Brown, Mary Hill, Mohinder Grewal, and Mish Vadasz.

12. NEXT MEETING
The next meeting will be at 10 AM, October 17th in Room 105 in the Pacific Spirit Building. Members of the Advisory will be invited to attend.

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General Advisory Committee Coordinating Committee Focus Groups Reports