Sharing a Vision
oj Health”

‘LIONS GATE
HOSPITAL‘S
Caring Community

Calendar

‘ The staff of the Medical and *
Cancer Outpatient Treatment
Clinic at Lions Gate Hospital.

_ 2 invite you to ‘
Crristinas in the Clinic. |
\ “Tues. Dec. 7 at2em
Live music, food, Santa,
“ie? and good cheer! ©
Fingez food would be welcome.

termity Sibling Tour i i

Bak. Wec. 1 21030 A.
meet ox 22d floor by elevators;
fF children whose
‘are ‘expecting a new -
if info, call 984-5854:

ms

Elders draft Vancouver dec!

MORE than 400
seniors from ali over
B.C. met in Vancouver
earlier this fall to cele-
brate 1999 as the
International Year of

the Older Person.

We heard from Doris
Anderson, the well-known
journalist, former editor of

_ Chatelaine magazine, who

talked about how older pco-
ple are seen in the communi-
¥ While the term “elder”
implies that we have wisdom
and experience, the label
“senior” often refers to some-
one who is frail and net very

with it.”

Anderson encouraged us
to learn all we can about the

_ world we live in, and to work
together to make sure that we

leave a legacy of safe and

‘healthy coramunities around
.. the world for everyone.

../' During the conference, we
* looked at many issues that

affect our lives now and how

re
en Wong

Pharmacist

"DAVIES PHARMACY
40% St.

985-8771.

* incomes:

to deal with change. A major
concerr: of course is that of
health, how the health of peo-
ple of all ages is affected by
our environment, our housing
and, above all, by poverty.

Almost half of ali single
seniors live in poverty, and
this is reflected by seniors liv-
ing in inadequate housing,
not eating properly and hav-
ing, increasing difficulty in
getting adequate health care,
as many services are being

. “privatized.”

1 was part of two sessions
dealing with affordable hous-
ing. We learned that several
thousand seniors are on wait-
ing lists for subsidized apart-
ments and that since the fed-

_eral government has with-

drawn funds for housing, very
few new buildings are being
developed. This situation will
get worse as our beby-boomer
childr-n age and may find
themscives with lower’ .“
Health care was another
key concern. We heard that .

‘there are prablerns expeti-

enced by people who eave. -
hospital and arrive at home,

-often alone, with no home
ss Support services available.
: Thi

problem becomes more
critical in cases where some-

:. one'comes to B.C. from

another province...
:“E heard abouz an 86-year-

: _old woman who was hospital-

ed with heart problems
while visiting her son in:

Vancouver..When she. was

told she could’ go home if”
bome nursing help was avail
able, she was then ‘told she’

would heve to wait three
months ior this service
because each province con-
trols their own home-care

. So, she was kept in -

rograms.
Prospieal (federally funded) for
another 10 days ata

far greater expense

to the taxpayer.

Many people
attended workshops
dealing with health
practices from other
cultures, financial
planning and issues
related to isolation
and privatization as
it aftects residents of
care facilities.

Finally, Doris
Anderson summed
up the results of our
discussions by dis-
agreeing with our
government’s staic-
ments that there is
no more moncy for
social services.

She stated: “If we
were to impose a
Tobin tax of 0.5%:
on all global trans-
border financial
transactions, we
could end world
poverty.”

The participants

* in the conference
. unanimously agreed

to support the
“Vancouver
Declaration” stating
that seniors oppose

"the privatization of

heaith, home care,
housing and pen-
sions.

The declaration
also calls on all gov-
ernments to consult
with seniors to ©

- implement ‘aid fund

“impressed with the
_cnergy and i

own by all the

North. Vanicou

participants — a
demonstration of “grey
power.”

Mary Segal is coordinator of
Lionsview Seniors’ Planning
Society. Ideas for future columns

aration

are welcome. Contact Segal at
985-3852 or drop a line to
Lionsview Seniors’ Plannin,
Society, North Building, 600 W.
Queens Rd., North Van, B.C.,
V7N 2L3.