A community group that supports Burnaby seniors is inviting the public to attend one of two upcoming discussion sessions to share experiences and ideas on several topics, including housing, transportation and health.
Voices of Burnaby Seniors, a not-for-profit community task force made up of seniors and representatives from agencies and organizations, is hosting two dialogue sessions in February to discuss issues that directly impact seniors in the city, including social and recreational opportunities, health and home care, housing, transportation and income security.
“The main focus is to have them share what they know about the needs of Burnaby seniors and consider ways to address those needs,” said Mariam Larson, consulting gerontologist for Voices of Burnaby Seniors.
Each session is two hours long and attendees will be broken into small groups. The sessions are open to anyone, no matter their age, including children or grandchildren of seniors, caregivers, service providers and even neighbours.
“We would like to engage people of all different ages who care about seniors, it’s not just seniors,” Larson said. “People who are interested in working towards improving the lives of seniors in Burnaby … are welcome.”
Nine years ago, the first seniors dialogues were held in Burnaby, which led to an extensive survey of seniors in the city and eventually the creation of the Voices of Burnaby Seniors task force.
“An age-friendly community, one that supports people as they age, is stronger, healthier and more stable,” Larson said, when asked why people should attend the upcoming sessions.
The first session takes place Wednesday, Feb. 11 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. at Confederation Centre, 4585 Albert St. The second session is on Thursday, Feb. 12 from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Bonsor Recreation Complex, 6550 Bonsor Ave. Refreshments will be served.
Registration is required by Feb. 3. Contact the Burnaby planning department at 604-294-7421 or email [email protected], to register for either session.
