Isobel Mackenzie, B.C.’s seniors advocate, is coming to Nanaimo to hear and discuss concerns from local seniors and their families at a town hall meeting.
Mackenzie will also discus her role and initiatives on which her office is currently working, including a review of seniors’ housing in B.C. and seniors’ services.
The Office of the Seniors Advocate monitors and analyzes the provision of services to seniors, provides information and deals with health, housing, transportation and other seniors’ issues.
The mid-Island is one of Mackenzie’s last stops on what has been a provincewide tour.
“Housing. Seniors are very concerned about having affordable housing, the right kind of housing, the services they need in their house,” Mackenzie said.
Mackenzie said residential care and home support are major concerns she hears, especially in areas with aging populations such as the mid-Island, where people worry whether the services and facilities will be there when they need them.
“If there was a No. 1 issue it would be housing, closely followed by transportation, closely followed by the spectrum of ‘Am I going to have enough money?’ and under that caption there’s a long list of things that are impacted,” Mackenzie said.
Concerns peculiar to the Nanaimo region Mackenzie has heard revolve around the requirement to travel from up Island to Nanaimo for seniors and medical services and wait times at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital.
The town hall meeting happens Thursday (Jan. 29) 1:30-3:30 p.m. at Oliver Woods Community Centre.
For more information, please call 1-877-952-3181 or visit www.seniorsadvocatebc.ca.
