The Better At Home program is up and running in Burnaby, and that means local seniors can now get help with light housekeeping tasks and rides to medical appointments.
Better at Home is a provincially funded program managed by the United Way, and it is designed to help seniors stay in their own homes as long as possible.
“We’ve just done our first visit, and our first home work order,” said Michele Wilson, who works with the city’s Citizen Support Services and is the program coordinator for Burnaby Better At Home. “We’re just getting our feet wet right now. We’re excited.”
The City of Burnaby’s Citizen Support Services receives at least $100,000 to run the program for a year. After that, Citizen Support Services will reapply to continue the program in the future.
“Our thoughts are there is going to be such a great demand, we won’t have any trouble getting the numbers,” Wilson said. “We are hoping to demonstrate that we have the numbers and we need the services, and consequently the funding.”
Seniors who contact the program, or are referred through Fraser Health’s home health program, can arrange for help with light housekeeping or rides to medical appointments. Outreach workers who speak various languages are also available through the program’s partnership with MOSAIC.
Even though the program just started, there are already many seniors applying.
“We haven’t really advertised, and I have 50 people already,” Wilson said.
Seniors wishing to use Better At Home have to pay a fee, based on their income. The fees go back into the program and help others who are using the services but may not be able to pay as much.
In Burnaby, the housekeepers will be contracted professionals, but the drivers are all volunteers.
To qualify for help through Burnaby’s Better at Home program, applicants must be residents of Burnaby who are 65 or older living independently. To apply, call 604-297-4877 or email [email protected].
