Jun 14

Written by: Joe Longo
Saturday, June 14, 2008 

June is Seniors’ Month and the Victoria Avenue Library continues to host until June 20 an information display about the “Let’s Talk Aging at Home” strategy. This display is from the Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant Local Health Integration Network.

Part of its role is to make decisions about what to fund in our local health care system. To make these decisions, they listen to the needs and preferences of the community. The Ministry of Health and Long Term Care is investing more than $60 million over the next three years to support seniors’ independent living and aging at home in our area.

They know, given the aging population here, that people are talking about what it means to age. They are talking about the things they are doing to help themselves age healthily and happily in whatever home they have chosen to live in. Our Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) wants to learn the core values, priorities, barriers, worries, and solutions that people in our area have and share with one another.

Key to the Let’s Talk initiative is that you can organize and lead a Let’s Talk conversation on your own. All you need to do is get a Let’s Talk Kit from the display at the library or contact the LHIN office to get one. Gather your bridge club, book club or group of friends and relatives together who are over the age of 55 to talk about aging at home. Nominate one of you to record what you discuss and another person to lead the conversation. Once you are done send the things you recorded back to the LHIN office. It’s that easy to get involved with local decision making.

For those of you who would like to attend a Let’s Talk conversation, the LHIN will be hosting an Open Conversation at the MacBain Community Centre in the Coronation Programming Room at 10 a.m. on June 20. Please register by calling the number listed below.

For more information about this strategy contact Deanna Bryant, Community Engagement Consultant, toll-free at 1-866-363-5446 or deanna.bryant@lhins.on.ca .

The library display includes information about LHIN, the Aging At Home Strategy, dates and locations of Let’s Talk opportunities and complimentary bookmarks while supplies last.

Borrow throughout the year “The safe living guide : a guide to home safety for seniors” published by Health Canada’s Division of Aging and Seniors and many library books, magazines, dvds and audio books of interest to those 55 and older.