• a pilot project using recommendations from the Roundtable to be overseen by Help the Aged Canada in partnership with other stakeholder organizations

• a national recruitment and training program to mobilize active seniors as volunteers during environmental emergencies;

2. That the Public Health Agency, other key government bodies, CARP and Help the Aged Canada lead development of a pan-Canadian Emergency Preparedness Strategy based on national standards and legislation to protect individuals who act as Good Samaritans during times of crisis and to facilitate the collection of personal health information for community registries of high risk vulnerable seniors.

3. That the Public Health Agency of Canada and other key government bodies launch a national Emergency Preparedness Communication Strategy to increase public awareness and public education, using well-known seniors as spokespersons to generate awareness of the need for individual and community emergency preparedness. The strategy will:

• Heighten awareness of the increasing likelihood and impact of environmental emergencies on the lives of all Canadians.

• Promote emergency preparedness planning and legislation at the community level, such as the recent Tenants’ Act (Ontario) to regulate maximum indoor temperatures in summer just as minimum heat temperatures in winter are regulated.

• Educate seniors about the need to take responsibility for their own safety and wellbeing to the extent possible, and how to prepare for environmental crises.

• Disseminate information about how individuals and families can prepare for an environmental emergency and where they can obtain help, such as how to make an emergency plan, where to purchase an emergency kit or how to create one.

• Identify financial resources and practical assistance to assist seniors to plan and prepare for environmental emergencies.

Discussions about a seniors’ focus during the National Roundtable were very action-oriented, eliciting numerous practical suggestions to address specific aspects of emergency preparedness.

The full report will be posted on www.carp.ca in January, 2008. A limited number of hard copies will also be available at that time; please contact [email protected].”

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