The Council on Aging Grey Bruce came to the Chantry Centre April 25 to have a community conversation about aging in Saugeen Shores.

Hub Staff

Two community conversations about what it’s like to age in Saugeen Shores were presented by the Council on Aging (COA) Grey Bruce; on April 18 at the Plex in Port Elgin and on April 25 at the Chantry Centre in Southampton.

See: Council on aging met with support from Saugeen Shores Council

Using the eight pillars of life according to the World Health Organization (1. Outdoor Spaces and Public Buildings, 2. Transportation, 3. Housing, 4. Social Participation, 5. Respect and Social Inclusion, 6. Civic Participation and Employment, 7. Communications and Information, 8. Community and Health Services), the COA asked attendees what is and isn’t working in Saugeen Shores.

“The Housing the Transportation the Health Services, those are the three biggies in most cases,” said COA Past Chair Wally Halliday, April 25, going on to say that the same issues were discussed at both Saugeen Shores meetings with similar concerns brought forth. Findings will be presented to Town Staff and later to Saugeen Shores Council.

“We take the actual notes as they're written and they're put in on addendums to that report so they can actually see what was said in each meeting,” said Halliday.

During the open discussion on transportation many in the room highlighted that without public transit there wasn't an affordable option to get to and from appointments with unknown wait times. Saugeen Shores resident Luz Marie Alvarez Wilson presented the idea of creating a ride sharing program in Saugeen Shores

Others expressed concerns that some “lips” on sidewalks in Southampton aren’t helpful for those who use scooters. Scooter Safety concerns were mentioned with some reminding attendees of the Spring Scooter Rodeo hosted by Pharmasave.

Vice-Deputy Mayor Diane Huber was in attendance and noted that the Town of Saugeen Shores will soon be creating a Transportation Master Plan and said that having a collective voice presented from a local COA Committee members would be beneficial.

When the topic of housing came up snow shovelling was mentioned as an apparent issue with some wondering if there could be a link between older adults and high school students for volunteers hours. One wondered if there could be a website or information sharing system that housed contact information on trustworthy and affordable household repair people in Saugeen Shores.

Having more awareness programs in Saugeen Shores when it comes to ageism and violence against seniors was a point brought up in the Respect and Social Inclusion pillar. Saugeen Shores Connie Barker said that the Bruce County Museum and Cultural Centre will be hosting a ten week session where those topics could be addressed to a broader audience.

It was largely agreed that Saugeen Shores senior residents are highly active in civic participation to the point that some groups have thought about succession plans. “How do we bring in the next generation,” wondered Saugeen Shores Councillor Cheryl Grace.

The final pillar of Community and Health Services saw a needs focus. The idea of personalized trainers for seniors in an at home setting would be seen as an asset in the community, while some would like to see pharmacies open later, or even 24 hours.

During the conversations the idea of a local seniors advisory committee was proposed which would join other communities like Brockton, Southgate, Grey Highlands and Hanover who currently have representatives who meet with the Grey Bruce COA once a month.