"WORK and PLAN WITH SENIORS NOT FOR THEM"
-COSCO's motto

NEWSLETTER

Read the latest COSCO BC Newsletter
newsletter (pdf)

COSCO'S HEALTH PROMOTION WORKSHOPS

The Council of Senior Citizens' Organizations of B.C. has developed many health and safety promotion workshops that are available free of charge to any seniors' group. Each session lasts for approximately 90 minutes and a trained senior facilitator delivers the program.
Workshop Details

OUR SPONSORS

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Council of Senior Citizens Organizations of British Columbia

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A national conference to explore the opportunities and challenges of Canadians’ increased longevity

Please join us October 1 – 2, 2012, Richmond, B.C., for this key event

This important conference will explore the opportunities and the challenges seniors face as Canadians live longer and fuller lives. Drawing on expertise from around the world, participants will review how other jurisdictions are dealing with demographic changes, their impact on the health, housing and incomes of seniors, and the implications for society in general.

View the conference program
2012_Conference_program.pdf

Conference Registration
2012_Conference_Registration.pdf

Big Business in Seniors Care

He Lied

Harper 2005: "My government will fully preserve Old Age Security".

Canada’s pensions are too meager, not too generous

The B.C. Council of Senior Citizens’ Organizations has expressed profound disappointment in the Harper government’s plan to raise the retirement age and thereby undermine the financial security of thousands of Canadians.

"Canada’s public pension system is already among the stingiest in the developed nations of the world," said Gudrun Langolf, first vice president of COSCO.

Read More(pdf)

Glacial progress but progress all the same! Some of us elders were part of the struggles for women's equality –though not necessarily thousands of years ago ...

Millennium of Achievements
by Marika Morris, CRIAW Research Coordinator
http://www.criaw-icref.ca/millenium

A thousand years ago only certain cultures, such as the Mohawk, offered women any kind of equality, such as matrilineal descent and the choosing of chiefs.

Today,just like one thousand years ago, some women around the world are still sold into prostitution, forced to marry against their will, have no right or access to birth control or abortion, have little access to education, and are completely economically dependent on men.

However, Canadian women have also made significant gains over the last millennium, and particularly over the past 100 years:

In 1897, after a very long fight, Clara Brett Martin became Canada's first lawyer and the first woman to practice law in the entire British Empire. She overcame editorials opposing women lawyers on the grounds that the physical attraction between them and the judges and juries would be intolerable; She lobbied for a bill in the Ontario legislature that would overturn the Law Society of Upper Canada's regulations barring women because only "persons" could be admitted.

SONS fights for seniors
Save Our Northern Seniors

(SONS). a COSCO affiliate based in Fort St. John, is a registered society working for safety, respect, and dignity of seniors.

"We've had a busy year," says Margaret Little, Vice-President. At a town hall meeting held byPremier Christy Clark, the group

highlighted the need for more senior housing and better transportation. SONS' representatives on the Fort St. John Mayor's Disability

Committee advocated on issues such as getting a ramp so that people can get on an airplane without having to be carried up the steps!

"We want to make our community accessible and safe," says Little.

The group also participates on the city's Affordable Housing Committee, gathering information on affordable housing and future needs

in Fort St. John and area.

"Our area has the fastest growing number of seniors in the province," notes Little.

Recruitment and retention of Home Support Workers is also a big concern. The case load is huge, the distances long, and there is a real lack of trained staff, often forcing individuals into hospitals or care facilities in other communites.

SONS recently succeeded in having Handi-Dart service expanded to Saturdays, a key victory since there are no wheelchair accessible taxis. "2012 will continue to be a busy year. Sharing information provincially as well as locally will be very important," says Little.

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DriveABLE sparks province-wide concern

The so-called DriveABLE test is causing considerable concern, especially among seniors, in communities around the province.

Support Our Seniors, a COSCO affiliate in the Comox Valley, has held two meetings to discuss the issue, drawing crowds of more than 160 people in total.

"The issue is very important to seniors in our rural community for whom the loss of a driver's licence often necessitates a move of residence, and always a considerable loss of independence," says Jennifer Pass, Chair of S.O.S.

"We have written to the Superintendent of Motor Vehicles with a list of our concerns, but have not yet received a response," she says.

"No one disagrees that some seniors have cognitive changes as they age which affects their driving ability. However, the process in use in B.C. has many inherent problems."

Similar meetings co-sponsored by Sunshine Coast Seniors, the COSCO branch on the Sunshine Coast, have also drawn large crowds. MLAs' offices have been receiving many calls. COSCO is giving the issue a high priority. Lorraine Logan, chair of the transportation committee, says there is no accountability in the test, results are inconsistent.

"It's scary as hell and we've got to change it," Logan told the Feb. 10

COSCO annual general meeting. In pursuing this issue, Logan and Secretary-Treasurer Sheila Pither

are in contact with MLAs, and arranging meetings with ICBC and the organization that administers the tests. Pither has developed a

workshop for mature drivers, and COSCO continues to support local groups and individuals on this issue. 

Read these and more in the latest newsletter (pdf)

Columbians urge province to act on recommendations in Ombudsperson's part 2 report on seniors' care

The BC Health Coalition and advocates across B.C. are urging the province to fully implement the BC Ombudsperson's recommendations for better seniors' care outlined in her recently released final report.

The report, titled The Best of Care: Getting It Right for Seniors in British Columbia (Part 2), makes 176 recommendations to improve quality and access to care for seniors in the province's home and community care services. It outlines measures for improving quality, accessibility, and accountability in home and community care, in particular for home support services, assisted living, and residential care.

Read more

18 NEW WORKSHOPS!

The COSCO Seniors' Health & Wellness Institute developed these:

ADVOCACY FOR CAREGIVERS, ADVANCE CARE PLANNING AND ADVANCEDIRECTIVES, HANDLING MONEY, HEARING, HOUSING, KNOWING YOURBLADDER, LIFE WITHOUT DRIVING, PEDESTRIAN SAFETY, PERSONAL PLANNING,MATURE DRIVING WORKSHOP, SENIOR SEXUALITY, SLEEP, STAYING FIT AT HOME,STROKE, TECHNOLOGY AND AGING, VISION, CHAIR YOGA

For more detailed description of each workshop please go to more information
To book or enquire about a workshop  - contact Sheila Pither by email at pither470@shaw.ca
or  telephone
(604)-684-9720

B.C. Budget "a major disappointment" for seniors

2012 BC Budget News Release

"Today’s budget represents a major disappointment for B.C. seniors – especially in light of the Ombudsperson’s recommendations to strengthen home support, and increase care hours in long-term care facilities," says Art Kube, President of the 80,000 member Council of Senior Citizens’ Organizations of B.C. (COSCO).

Read full news release

Seniors agenda: actions speak louder than words

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 14, 2012

The B.C. Council of Seniors today welcomed Premier Christy Clark’s promise to improve services for seniors, but cautioned that actions speak louder than words. “For the last decade, this government has implemented a ‘seniors’ agenda’ that has created misery for thousands of elderly citizens in our province,” said Art Kube, President of the 80,000 member Council of Senior Citizens’ Organizations of B.C. (COSCO).

Read full article(pdf)

FUTURE OF HEALTH CARE

IMPORTANT EVENT
MONDAY, JANUARY 16TH 2012 - 6:30-8:30PM
PUBLIC TOWNHALL MEETING IN VICTORIA, BC

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS:
Maude Barlow, Chair of the Council of Canadians, and Diana Gibson of the Parkland Institute

Monday, January 16 6:30-8:30PM
The Da Vinci Centre, 195 Bay Street,
Victoria, BC

The Federal government has already revealed plans to cut federal health transfers. On January 16-17, 2012 Premier Christy Clark will host premiers from across the country to discuss health care and fiscal arrangements with the federal government related to the 2014 Health Accord. Now is the time to have our say.

Join us on January 16 for a town-hall meeting to learn more about the 2014 Health Accord and opportunities to strengthen our health care system through public innovation, and discuss ways to move forward toward a health accord that ensures that everyone has access to care when they need it, regardless of their ability to pay. 

Co-hosted by the Council of Canadians and the BC Health Coalition 

For more information, contact:
The BC Health Coalition at mailto:info@bchealthcoalition.ca  or 604-681-7945
The Council of Canadians BC/Yukon office at awaxman@canadians.org or 604-688-8846

Join and share the event on Facebook at http://on.fb.me/rE6IXQ

Seniors Demographic

A population shift is happening: In British Columbia, about 44 out of 100 people are now either boomers or their parents are.

The oldest baby boomers turn 65 this year. In Metro Vancouver, if the trend continues, by  2036 one in four people will be over 65 years old.

From November 16^th:

To read a report by The Province on The Seniors Forum please click here

 Resources & presentations from the Seniors Forum: click here

 2011 United Way Seniors Vulnerability Community Profiles and Discussion Papers, Click here

 United Way Seniors Vulnerability Report, Click here

Dr. Beverley Pitman - "United Way’s Seniors Priority Area - An Overview," Click here

Scott Graham - "Seniors Demographic Overview and Low-Income Seniors," Click here

Denise Cloutier-Fisher - "Seniors' Isolation," Click here

Lorraine Copas - "Seniors' Housing," Click here

Dr. Jean-François Kozak - "Seniors' Health," Click here

Dr. Maureen Ashe - "Seniors' Mobility," Click here

Andrea Procyk - "Seniors' Transportation," Click here

Ros Guggi, Deputy Editor, The Province "Boomerangst" - Click here

Marcy Cohen, "Aging with Dignity," - Click here

 http://www.uwlm.ca/seniorsforum

Debunking the Myth of Unsustainable Medicare

Some contend our public health care system is unsustainable and propose for-profit health care as the ‘solution’. It is a myth that Medicare is unsustainable, but there are critical changes needed to improve Canada’s health care system

'Debunking the Myth of Unsustainable Medicare' will explore the myth and needed changes with Dr. Robert Woollard – Canadian Doctors for Medicare, Adam Lynes-Ford – BC Health Coalition and Michael Goldberg – Past Research Director SPARC-BC , Sunday, November 27, 2011 from 1:30 to 3:30 pm at the Sechelt Seniors Centre, 5604 Trail Ave. This public meeting is co-sponsored by the Sunshine Coast Labour Council, Sunshine Coast Senior Citizens (COSCO-BC) and Sunshine Coast Teachers' Association.

Read full article

BC energy policies help wealthier homeowners, hurt low-income households

Study recommends new approach

| News Release http://tinyurl.com/64yuzhr
BC energy policies help wealthier homeowners, hurt low-income households

Study recommends new approach

BC Office | News Release

Issue(s): Energy policy, Inequality and poverty

Projects & Initiatives: Climate Justice Project

September 28, 2011

(Vancouver) A new study calls for a more fair and effective approach to residential energy efficiency in BC as part of an aggressive climate action framework. The study recommends protecting low-income households from rising electricity costs and investing in retrofits for multi-unit buildings and rental housing.

"To reduce residential greenhouse gas emissions in BC we must shift away from natural gas and increase our reliance on clean electricity," says Marc Lee, lead author of the study and co-director of the Climate Justice Project. "That means a big push for conservation and energy efficiency, with an emphasis on the needs of low- to middle-income households."

Raising electricity prices can increase energy poverty. When people live in energy poverty, it means that they struggle to meet basic energy needs, especially necessities like heat and hot water. Between 17 and 18% of British Columbians are estimated to live in energy poverty already.

The study's key findings include:

Low-income households spend a much greater percentage of their income on electricity: The poorest 20% spent 3% of their income on electricity in 2009, while the top 20% spent less than 1%. BC Hydro's shift to two-tier pricing had a small beneficial impact on low-income households and increased costs for high-income households. However, planned across-the-board rate increases will make energy poverty worse. BC's household energy retrofit program, LiveSmartBC, primarily benefits owners of single-family homes. Low- and moderate-income households, who tend to live in rental housing and in multi-unit buildings, have little access to retrofit dollars.

The study's recommendations include:

Ensure that fighting energy poverty is part of a long-term clean energy transition strategy: concentrate price increases in the second tier of electricity pricing, and provide income transfers to low-income households if their electricity costs rise. Target older housing, rental stock and multi-unit buildings with retrofit programs as a core element of a next generation LiveSmart program.Invest in training for the green jobs required to carry out these retrofits.Eliminate the upfront costs of making retrofits through innovative financing arrangements, using hydro bills or the property tax system.Guard against perverse incentives to switch to natural gas for space and water heating: use carbon pricing and require that new housing developments use clean energy. (Gas prices are currently about half the cost of electricity in the first tier.)

The authors estimate that $220 million per year invested in retrofitting BC's housing stock over the next decade would lead to substantial reductions in GHG emissions and energy poverty, and create 12,000 direct green jobs per year.

"A move towards zero-carbon homes should not increase energy poverty," says Lee. "BC can be a leader in developing a new approach that creates jobs and reduces energy poverty while doing our share of climate action."

For more information or interviews, contact Sarah Leavitt, 604-801-5121, x233 or sarah @ policyalternatives.ca

34 Page CCPA-BC Report (pdf)

Fighting Energy Poverty in the Transition to Zero-Emission Housing: A Framework for BC, by Marc Lee, Eugene Kung and Jason Owen is available at policyalternatives.ca/energypoverty. This study is part of the Climate Justice Project, a partnership between the CCPA-BC and UBC, funded by SSHRC.

COSCO lobbies for action to scrap Medical Services Plan premiums for all seniors

MSP premiums – like all user fees and consumption taxes – have no relationship to ability to pay
By Sylvia MacLeay President, COSCO BC

However, to date, no B.C. provincial government has taken action.
COSCO decided that with pensions not indexed enough to cover inflation, increases in the cost of living, and losses in savings due to the recent recession that removing MSP Premiums would help seniors.

Read Full Article in our Newsletter

HST

In the wake of the referendum decision to eliminate the Harmonized Sales Tax, seniors can breathe only a short sigh of relief. British Columbians now must engage in a new debate. We need a tax system that is fair, respects the ability of individuals to pay, and recognizes our shared responsibilities to each other.

Read More

Video: Citizens Rally in Vancouver to Stop Smart Meters

A number of citizens and organizations - including the BC Public Interest Advocacy Centre (Jim Quail) and the Clean Energy Foundation - gathered recently in Vancouver at the headquarters of BC Hydro to speak out against BC Liberal government's Billion-dollar smart meter program. Criticism of smart meters ranges from concerns over expense to taxpayers and ratepayers to serious health threats from electromagnetic radiation. Here are some highlights from the event (2 min). To learn more about what you can do, see Citizens for Safe Technology's Smart Meter Action Kit.

Watch Video: http://thecanadian.org/k2/item/880-smart-meter-rally-video-damien-gillis

We need a change in attitude towards Canada's seniors

For many years, the Council of Senior Citizens' Organizations of British Columbia (COSCO) has been a leading voice fighting for seniors' rights

and the protection of social programs. This fight has been very challenging. At the same time, it has helped us to strengthen COSCO, and to make common cause with a good number of kindred organizations.

In the struggle for seniors' rights and a civil society we have gained a lot of knowledge which shows us the direction we should be going. We recognize that, "letting the young folks do it," is no longer appropriate, nor is the attitude towards seniors of, "Dearie, don't worry, we'll do it for you." This is not an endearment but a patronizing form of ageism.

The other thing we face in the development of public policy is the perception that seniors are an undue burden on the state and therefore a threat to universal social programs. We are determined to bring about a paradigm shift. We must celebrate our increased longevity and recognize seniors as the greatest under-utilized resource in society.

In COSCO we have exercised and applied this underutilized resource by developing programs of "seniors helping seniors" and by insisting "don't plan for seniors – plan with seniors." There are well-meaning people who think they know what's good for seniors. When we tell them that seniors know what's good for seniors, we are sometimes looked upon as uppity and ungrateful.

We need a change in attitude towards seniors. We have made progress on many counts, but there is still a long way to go.