June is Seniors’ Month in Ontario

The legal clinic recently received a letter from M. Aileen Carroll, the Minister Responsible for Seniors announcing that June is Seniors’ Month in Ontario. The provincial theme for Seniors’ Month 2008 is “Discover the Possibilities”. The government’s goal, according to the letter, is to encourage older adults to live life to the fullest and to continue to make their enormous contributions to their families, communities and country.

Information on Seniors’ Month is available on the website of the Ontario Seniors’ Secretariat, www.ontarioseniors.ca or by calling the Seniors INFOline at 1-888-910-1999.

I took up the Minister’s offer and visited the Ontario Seniors’ Secretariat website. I found much information about Seniors’ Month as well as information about such things as government pensions, volunteering, retirement and powers of attorney to name a few. The Ontario Seniors’ Secretariat is a great place to start a search on topics of interest to seniors.

The focus of Seniors’ Month is active living and there are many resources available. Here is a sampling:

• Life Event Bundle – The Life Event Bundle is a collection of services and information online relating to specific events in a person’s life. It covers topics from “Having a Baby” to “What to do When Someone Dies” as well as many events in between. Of particular interest to seniors is “Getting Ready to Retire” which covers Canada’s retirement income system with details as to when and how to apply for government pensions. Another topic is “Pursuing Life’s Best After Retirement” which provides information on many activities available to seniors. More information may be obtained from the Government of Ontario website at www.gov.on.ca or by calling the Citizens’ Inquiry Bureau at 1-800-267-8097.

• Canada’s Physical Activity Guide to Healthy Active Living for Older Adults – The Guide and related Handbook explain why physical activity is important to maintain good health and improved quality of life. They provide guidelines for various activities that are designed to improve endurance, flexibility and strength, and balance. More information is available by calling 1-888-334-9769 or visiting the Public Health Agency of Canada website at www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/pau-uap/paguide/older/ .

• Active Living Coalition for Older Adults (ALCOA) – The Coalition estimates that 60% of older Canadians are “inactive” and therefore unable to realize the health benefits of active living. Its goal is to promote a society where all older Canadians are leading active lifestyles. More information is available on ALCOA’s website at www.alcoa.ca or by calling 1-800-549-9799.

It has been a pleasure surfing the net to find information about Seniors’ Month and many other resources of interest to older Canadians. It occurs to me, however, that surfing the net does not contribute to an active life style. I have therefore decided to leave my computer and go for a walk.

I urge you to follow up on some of the leads noted above, perhaps, when you have returned from your walk.