Article posted December 2, 2011

Since we were unable publish a Chapter update in October due to computer problems this update will cover both October and November.

Your chapter volunteers continue to be very encouraged with the level of support for our monthly meetings. Average attendance per meeting is now approaching 70 members and their friends.  Judging by the level of interaction with the speakers everyone has found the subjects that have been covered so far both interesting and informative.  As most of you know there will be no meeting in December. We will begin again in the New Year and will continue to invite speakers that we think will stimulate your interest and make your attendance worthwhile.

We would like to encourage everyone to regularly visit the CARP National website at www.carp.ca to follow the Advocacy issues that CARP is either pursuing or highlighting, to keep current with the ever evolving Benefits program and to see what is happening in other CARP Communities.

Advocacy

The three key areas CARP National addresses on a National and Provincial level are 1)
your finances 2) your health 3) your rights. During the recent Ontario election the three parties that make up the provincial government outlined their plans to address senior’s issues. Since we have a minority government CARP is expecting each party to pursue their promises with vigour. Seniors are a major voting block and we expect them to follow through on their promises.

Benefits

CARP has had a very ambitious program to increase the number of affinity partners. A large number are now in the program and we encourage you to take advantage of the
savings offered by them. This is covered in the CARP Member handbook however the
best way to keep abreast of the partner programs is to visit the CARP website. Please remember that CARP itself is not in any of these businesses. To take advantage of any of these benefits you must deal directly with the partner.

Community

At the community level your Halton Chapter is becoming involved in local forums with
municipal and regional governments to speak on behalf of seniors. We are also looking
into Caregiver support groups within Halton to see if there are any gaps or needs that may exist.

We would also so like to establish a local benefits program and hope to have this up and
running next year.

We have also established our Mission, Vision and Goals for the Chapter. Please see the relevant article on this webpage.  We will move forward based on this and structure our
meetings and projects accordingly.

Please this webpage regularly to keep informed of happenings in Halton and the activities of your chapter. Also if you have any information that you feel should be passed on to other CARP Members please send it to us at [email protected]  and we will post it on our webpage and also include it in our newsletters.

Also if you belong to any other group who may like a CARP presentation please contact us.
We recently had a wonderful time speaking to a retirement group in Georgetown

Volunteers needed

We would like a couple of members from each municipality in Halton to volunteer to
monitor their municipalities website and make us aware of issues or programs
that should be brought to the attention of our  members. We anticipate that this would take about 30 minutes per week whenever you have the time. We would work with you to
identify the websites to follow. This would be a great benefit to all members
and the community.

October Community Meeting.

The topic for our October meeting was Health Insurance when travelling outside of Ontario. Stacey Aarssen , who is an Insurance broker, was our featured speaker for the evening.  Stacey gave an unbiased presentation on what travel insurance is and why we need it when we travel out of province. Unexpected medical treatment can be, and usually is, very expensive and it is amazing how many people overlook the need for travel insurance, even for short shopping trips over the border. If a medical emergency arises can you afford to be stuck with the bill?

If you have travel insurance, do you really understand your policy, what it covers and what is not covered? When purchasing travel medical or trip cancellation and interruption insurance it is most important that you understand the fine details. The “stability” clause is often the biggest issue, not just for you as the traveller but also for family members if there is a need to interrupt your trip in order to get home because of their medical emergency. Depending on your travel plans you will probably have to answer a questionnaire. It is absolutely critical that you answer the questions truthfully. If you are not sure, ask your doctor. If a claim is made Insurance companies will find out if any errors have been made and this may well jeopardise any settlement.

We would strongly encourage anyone travelling outside of Ontario to be insured against medical emergencies. You can purchase your insurance from any of the following:

• direct from an Insurance Company,
• an Insurance Broker,
• a bank,
• Travel Agencies,
• Organisations and Associations, such as CARP
•  on-line websites

Be sure you understand what to do if a medical emergency does arise, how you make a claim and most importantly be aware of what is NOT covered. For example you will not be covered for unstable pre-existing conditions. You will also not be covered if you are travelling against medical advice, or if you hide or misrepresent information. Other
exclusions also apply so make sure you understand your policy.

For more information you can visit Stacey’s website at www.bettertravelinsurance.ca
or call her at 1-888-341-3691, ext. 2. If you wish you can see her presentation. Please see the relevant article on this webpage where you will find a link to her material.

Below: Stacey and a guest  discuss Travel Insurance

In keeping with our Travel theme we were also pleased to welcome Pam Harwood from Senior Tours of Hamilton.  Pam gave a snapshot of Senior Tours and their wide range of all-inclusive tour packages.

The following overview of Senior Tours is quoted from their web site: www.seniortours.ca

Senior Tours Canada is the largest Canadian tour operator specializing in fully escorted worldwide group tours for the mature traveller age 50+. With over 100 destinations and cruises to choose from, their tours offer the traveler, choice, interesting itineraries, flexible pacing, good value and quality. For more information please go to their website or you
can contact Pam Harwood, at 905-577-1055.

Below: Pam Harwood shares information with a guest.

We were also delighted that coffee and treats were provided by Coffee Culture of 390, Brant Street, Burlington.

Above: Enjoying the “treats”

“Coffee Culture is designed as an Old World style coffee house where customers make it a frequent destination for conversation and relaxation. Coffee Culture at 390 Brant St.,
Burlington is a great place to relax and sample the finest coffee and tastiest treats”.

As usual our meeting ended with a few closing remarks from Tom and the 50/50 draw. Don and Marg Burnett were the winners taking home $97.

Below: Don receives his winning from Chapter volunteer Hugh Cass

November Community Meeting

For November we organised a Christmas Social evening. This allowed more time for those in attendance to meet and socialize with each other.

We invited representatives from the Ireland House Museum to join us and to give a talk on local history through Halton’s Ireland family.

Though much of their original farmland has been sold their home remains and is a very interesting Burlington landmark.  Ireland House Museum is located at 2168 Guelph Line. It is open year round and is well worth a visit.  Much of the house has been restored to its original condition and visitors will get a very good idea of life when this area was first settled. Presentations in the house change with the seasons and at this time of the year it is decorated with a Victorian Christmas theme. For more information you can visit www.museumsofburlington.com

We also invited Holland Park Garden Gallery to put on a demonstration of how to decorate a Christmas green urn. Using readily available items that can be purchased from them an urn can quickly become a beautiful Christmas decorative piece.

Below Monique Theriault, Floral Designer & Instructor of Holland Park Garden Gallery and Chapter Chair Tom Carrothers

They have two locations to serve you; 2243 Fairview Street, Burlington and 294 York Road, Dundas. You can also visit their website at www.hollandpark.com

In keeping with the spirit of Christmas we also invited Major Broome of the Salvation Army to join us. He gave a brief talk on poverty in our area and the urgent need to help. Poverty does not respect people. Those in need in our area can be found in all age groups.

Below Major Broome addresses the meeting.

The Salvation Army would also like more volunteers. Please contact them if you feel you could help them in any way.

On behalf of Halton Chapter we asked members to bring a non-perishable food donation. We were very pleased with the response to this request and all items collected were given to Major Broome for the Salvation Army food bank.

There was an excellent selection of Christmas treats which were made possible with the support of Hamptons restaurant. Hamptons is located in the Quality Suites hotel on Bronte Rd, just south of the QEW.  Please consider them for you future dining pleasure.

To close our evening there was a draw for the lovely decorations from Holland Park Garden gallery. The winners were Tricia Martin, Marguerite Smith, Julie Cunningham, and Jan McPherson.

Below: Sales of 50/50 draw tickets are going well.

And lastly Moira Lansdown was the lucky winner of the 50/50 draw taking home $90.

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