The following is a summary of some of the main activities at both the Chapter and National levels since our last Annual General Meeting.
1. November 24, 2008: CARP National announced the adoption of a new slogan “CARP- A New Vision of Aging for Canada.” to replace “CARP, Canada’s Association for the50Plus”. Also, the following statement was approved for use with news releases, in newsletters, announcements, etc.:
“CARP is a national, non-partisan, non-profit organization committed to advocating for a New Vision of Aging for Canada, social change that will bring financial security, equitable access to health care and freedom from discrimination. CARP seeks to ensure that the marketplace serves the needs and expectations of our generation and provides value-added benefits, products and services to our members. Through our network of chapters across Canada, CARP is dedicated to building a sense of community and shared values among our members in support of CARP’s mission.”
It should be noted that the phrase “New Vision of Aging” is “primarily a state of mind. It’s an attitude toward living long, an open, optimistic attitude that combines a desire for new life experiences with a sense of purpose and value. It’s an attitude that frankly recognizes the challenges of aging (and actively advocating for remedies to them), but also insists that aging doesn’t have to mean retreating from life.”
In a basic sense, CARP is determined to counteract the prevailing ageist stereotype in our society that connotes “older person” with decline, dis-empowerment and a loss of worth.
2. November 26, 2008: A public meeting was held at St. John’s City Hall at which the Draft Recreation and Parks Master Plan for the city of St. John’s was presented by Mr. Neil Dawe of Tract Consulting. Avalon Chapter was one of the stakeholders that participated in consultations during the development of this plan. What follows is the text of that section of the plan which deals specifically with seniors:
“There were approximately 30,000 residents above the age of 60 in the St. John’s Census Metropolitan Area in 2006. The demographic trends for St. John’s indicate the number of older adults is expected to steadily increase, so demand for older adult programs is expected to remain quite high.
The Department of Recreation offers direct delivery of programming to Seniors. It also offers a number of community programs to seniors at six apartment complexes and one neighbourhood site and also hosts a number of special events for older adults. The Department also partners with other organizations to facilitate a number of community based events at seniors and nursing homes.
The City also partners with the Seniors Resource Centre to support the Friday Friendship Club, which meets every Friday at the Mews Centre. The City’s senior activities program also includes some transportation from specific apartment buildings and subsidized para-transit.
Residents of St. John’s support improving services and programs offered to seniors, as indicated by the results of the public survey and stakeholder consultations. Better quality programs, more facilities, and more space in programs were identified as improvements required.”
