The Regional Municipality of York has created a new plan to help improve the lives of seniors in the community.
The new York Region Plan to Support Seniors identifies action and advocacy for the region to take to help seniors “age in the right place” based on their needs and preferences. York Region council approved the plan March 7, with actions including streamlining service navigation, creating age-friendly complete communities and provincial advocacy.
Community and Homes Assistance to Seniors (CHATS) CEO Christina Bisanz said it is a very comprehensive plan and can help address the challenges in the seniors service sector.
“We’re looking at it with optimism,” she said. “We're looking at ways in which we can co-ordinate and integrate care and services so we can be more efficient … ways to be more innovative and bold in the approach to seniors care.”
York Region is bracing itself for the rise in its senior population. Based on 2021 census data, about 200,000 seniors live in the region now, a 23 per cent increase over 2016. The region expects the seniors population to double over the next 30 years.
“While many of these older residents remain active and connected to their communities, others require higher levels of care and support,”a council statement in the plan said. “As our communities grow and change, we must think differently about how we serve residents of all ages, including our seniors population.”
The plan outlines challenges that need to be addressed, such as ensuring seniors can age close to home and helping seniors navigate and locate services.
“There are lots of services that are available. The challenge is finding out about them, finding out how to access them,” Bisanz said. “We do see a need for more centralized navigation and connection to services. We often say in our sector, no door is a wrong door.”
Provincial advocacy is also a key part of the plan, with issues ranging from funding across a continuum of seniors' health care, funding for community paramedicine and establishing a service system manager.
The funding issue is a noteworthy one, Bisanz said.
“We’re very excited that the region’s plan does address the need for joint advocacy,” she said. “Often, we do get funding, but it’s one-time funding and you can’t very well start up a program for seniors or youth or anybody with funds that only go for one year.”
Funding is also important to help organizations like CHATS recruit and retain staff, she said.
The 2024 budget for the plan was funded at $601,500 through the tax levy, with future costs to be considered as budgets come forward.
Bisanz said seniors organizations and York Region’s Ontario Health Teams have a good relationship and will work collaboratively to help seniors care.
She said it is important to recognize senior isolation and that collaboration can helpfully address that.
“Identify at-risk individuals before they get into crisis and end up in the hospital system or institutional care,” she said. “Looking at ways that we can continue to engage older adults in the communities that they live in. In a way that gives them meaning.
“They are very vital members of our community,” she added.
