Seniors advisory committee established

Times Reporter  

 

During the spring workshop town council had directed administration to create a terms of reference for a seniors advisory committee. At the May 21 regular council meeting Municipal Clerk Jennifer Sawatzky brought forward those terms for councils input and approval. 

Councillor Denise Peterson had a minor issue with the statement ‘provides advice to town council through the FCSS regarding activates that affect seniors.’

“Does this mean that the seniors themselves would not bring a voice to the table, that the voice that would come to council would be the voice of FCSS?” said Peterson.

Sawatzky stated that she believed the intent would be that the committee would be run under Strathmore FCSS who would then bring any concerns and comments to council. 

Peterson said one of the things that she has learned from talking to the seniors in the community was that they wanted their voice heard and heard specifically. She had no concerns with everything else in the draft, but would like to see the term through FCSS deleted, which would mean that it could be members of the committee coming to speak to council, or if the committee so chooses they could have FCSS speak on their behalf. 

Peterson said seniors in the community are excited and see lots of potential coming from this. There can be partnerships with Marigold Library System, personal care and family care networks, and additional support from various other groups.

“They want to be an authoritative voice with regards to issues of low income seniors, bring to the forefront issues on elder abuse, they want to look at attracting older workers into the local work force and to create strategies to help those in the work force be able to retain positions and to focus on issues of senior isolation, particularly for seniors in rural environments,” said Peterson. 

She said the seniors she spoke to were firm in their belief that many county residents would move to Strathmore to retire or to access assisted living accommodations, and for these reasons they feel it is important to unite their voices in the interest of the common good for Strathmore. They are confident that if the county also strikes a seniors council that the two will work together in the future.

The terms of reference were approved, minus the term through FCSS, and the committee is officially established and looking for members.