BARRIE - June 15 Notes

CARP BARRIE

Chapter Meeting – June 15th, 2010

Gwen Kavanagh, Chapter Chairperson welcomed the 31 enthusiastic members to our final meeting before the summer.

Some Club business first. It was discussed and decided that future CARP meetings will be held in the new community room at the Steckley-Gooderham Funeral Home in Barrie. Both Gwen and Vice Chairperson Marjory Scott have visited the facility and were very impressed. The room is free of charge, centrally located and user friendly.

Gwen noted that 2/3 of the Barrie area members do not have access to email and newsletters are a priority. The Barrie Chapter is looking for sponsorship to cover the cost of postage from a local organization. If anybody could assist with this please contact Gwen.

Chapter 36 is considering an event for members in July with Great Canadian Coaches. (Please note: Now scheduled for August) The bus trip to Niagara on the Lake would include winery tours, lunch and shopping. Members are encouraged to sign up if they were interested. Please get back to Gwen at barriecarp@gmail.com if interested.

Gwen proposed the idea of having a panel of local politicians or mayoral candidates at the next meeting in fall if members were interested. Please consider coming along to the next meeting if you are interested in this debate.

Guest Speakers;

Darlene Speer-Robinson from Physiomed is an OHIP licensed physiotherapist for seniors over 65. Darlene discussed fall prevention and osteoporosis programs as well as other programs covered by OHIP including tai-chi. Did you know that eligible seniors are entitled to 3 treatments per week covered by OHIP and all that is needed is a referral from a doctor or nurse. There are two other clinics in Barrie that are also OHIP licensed.

Louise Therrien from the Midland Branch of Service Canada. Louise spoke about the Canadian Pension Plan (CPP) as well as the Retirement Pension, Disability Benefit and Survivor Benefit. Louise had all the facts and figures associated with these benefits and provided a Reference Guide to guests which is a useful thing to have. Louise also spoke about Old Age Security and in particular, the OAS Pension, Guaranteed Income Supplement and Allowance for the Survivor. In many cases, there is strict requirements that need to be met in order to qualify for these benefits. Often, benefits are combined and some are calculated on your income. If you are unsure what you are entitled to and are having difficulty finding out please call 1-800-622-6232.

Our special thanks to our presenters.

Meeting adjourned and Gwen requested that members email her with any ideas or suggestions for your local Barrie CARP chapter.

To Contact Gwen - e-mail at barriecarp@gmail.com or phone at 705-721-5170