The City of Burnaby has proclaimed Oct. 1 as International Day of Older Persons, thanks to a prompting from a local seniors’ planning table.
The proclamation recognizes the contributions older people make, said Tazul Ali, a longtime Burnaby resident and chair of Voice of Burnaby Seniors, the group that asked for the proclamation.
“We wanted to gain awareness of the importance of older people and their contributions to their city,” Ali told the NOW. “We need to recognize and respect older people because there comes a time in their life when they feel they are being isolated because of their immobility or whatever it is that they’re not able to be as active in life as they used to be. … I am a senior myself, but we have so many older seniors that feel they are missing out on things.”
Voices of Burnaby Seniors hosts regular meetings on the third Tuesday of each month.
The group is led by volunteer seniors in the community, and they meet with service providers and agencies that work with seniors.
The next meeting is Oct. 18 at the Bill Copeland Sports Complex, at 3676 Kensington Ave., from 10 a.m. to noon in the Lake-view Room.
There will be a presentation on elder abuse, specifically on the LGBTQ community. For more information, visit www.burnabyseniors.org/voices-of-burnaby-seniors.
