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The Whitehorse Project of this National Initiative began in May
1999. With a five member co-ordinating committee and an eight member
advisory committee.
As Yukon is often described as one large "community" by
it’s residents, it was decided to include "rural" areas to
our "urban" Project.
We therefore determined that our Project would include the
communities of:
- Tagish
- Teslin
- Watson Lake
- Haines Junction
- Mayo
- Dawson City
- and of course-Whitehorse
A total distance of 3118 kilometres was travelled in the first part
of the Project (to gather the information) and will be travelled again
as we disseminate the information.
The overall goal of the Whitehorse Project was to include as many
Yukoners 55 plus years of age as was possible. We heard from over 120
of our peers.
To this information we added results from eight other related
projects for a more comprehensive look at "How’s
Life?...." for Yukon’s older adults.
We did not have university support - our entire project was done
"by seniors for seniors."
Our committee decided that our Goals and Objectives should be:
- To involve Yukon residents in a project that would allow them
to describe in their own words how good or bad they consider their
quality of life to be.
- To enable them to discuss issues that contributed to this
quality of life.
- To provide opportunities for Yukoners 55+ to become more
involved in, and assume more responsibility for their quality of
life.
- To help those Yukoners 55+ access information and education
that would show them that there may be choices that they could
make that would enhance their quality of life.
- To consider every issue as important
- To make every attempt to understand the issues identified and
make the appropriate recommendation for it..
- To build information links between seniors organizations.
- To build information links between seniors groups and
non-senior segments of our society.
- To design and develop a strategy to make certain that an action
be taken on the recommendations so as to insure that it is not ‘just
another survey that sits on the shelf gathering dust."
To best reflect the common concerns of this and other Projects of a
similar nature, input has been categorized as follows:
Issues
1. Desire for independence.
2. Financial self-sufficiency.
- Insufficient income for independence.
3. Support Networks.
- Services
- Social support
- Emotional support
- Spiritual support
4. Dread of declining health.
- Need information on the process of aging.
- Need information on health nutrition.
5. Need for communication.
- Telephones
- Line of Life
- Seniors need to know what services are available to him.
- Need health information.
6. Mobility.
- Able to get around
- Transportation
- Cleared walks, etc.
7. Stereotypes.
- Need for education about the aging process, not only for the
general public but for seniors themselves.
8. Respect for seniors
9. Loneliness and isolation
- Need for places to "get together"
- Seniors helping seniors
- Phone buddies etc.
10. Housing options
11. Homecare
12. Professional education
- Lack of any geriatric expertise
- More understanding of the aging process
13. Information: barriers to obtaining
- Low vision
- Illiteracy
- Deafness
- Language and cultural barriers
14. Safety and security
- Fear of invasion of space
15. Barriers to active living
- Lack of facilities
- Lack of knowledge
- Lack of leadership
- Access
16. Abuse:
- Physical
- Emotional
- Financial
- Is here but not talked about
17. Outreach
- Programs and information available in Whitehorse should be
take to the communities as much as possible.
Action Strategies
Some of the issues that were relayed to us were of immediate
concern and motivated us to act as advocates.
To date we have met with:
- The premier of the Yukon (twice)
- Minister of Health (three sessions)
- Opposition MLA
- Whitehorse City Council (zoning for seniors housing)
- Yukon Housing
- Whitehorse Housing
- Yukon Council on Aging
Our action phase, was ongoing and shall remain so.
With the completion of the report "How’s Life?...."
will come the appropriate recommendations.
Next Steps:
Revisit the communities to disseminate and discuss the Project
findings.
Form a Seniors Advocacy Group who will carry on dealing with the
issues and concerns and continue asking their peers "How’s
life?..."
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