Submitted by Gerry Tilmans,
1st VP, Public Relations
April was a busy month. We held two free Lunch and Learn sessions back to back. April 24 we hosted guest speaker Emily Kussmann, Director of Long-term Care and Seniors Services at Gateway Haven Wiarton and Brucelea Haven in Walkerton.
While her daily focus is on these facilities, we talked a lot about seniors’ needs before they are admitted. A shortage of public transport to help get people to doctors appointments, the difference between Long-term Care (LTC) and a Retirement home, tiny homes, garden suites and retirement communities are all things that the group attending expressed concerns about.
A good deal of dialogue brought about a discussion that a delegation should approach Council to discuss what can be done to provide affordable smaller homes for seniors. We will be building a network with other seniors groups to help promote this.
On April 29 Angela Yenssen, staff lawyer at Grey Bruce Community Legal Clinic in Owen Sound, spoke about different forms of housing that are non-ownership, and our rights at each of them. For example, Angela explained that in a retirement home people are classified as tenants, but in a Long-term Care they are considered residents (or patients). Contract details are extremely important and in some forms of rental such as “life lease” housing it is the wild west as these are private organizations and many are for-profit and there may be pitfalls in the fine print.
She also pointed out that it is your right to request a mental health assessment of someone in your care and that Ontario Health and Home are obligated to do this. Be sure that you or someone you know is present during the assessment.
Be aware of something hospitals call “transitional beds.” They might want to move a patient from hospital to one of these beds while waiting for entry into a Long-term Care home. The transitional bed facility might be a hotel or an LTC, but wherever the bed is, make sure that they can provide the correct healthcare needed for that person before agreeing to move them.
A few other important points. Not all retirement homes are equal; confirm if they’re for-profit or non-profit, privately owned or government operated. The words “I need to talk to my lawyer” can be quite helpful if you’re being pressured to move someone to another facility.
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Open to the public are our monthly movies, Friday May 29 is “Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning Pt 1”, Friday June 26 “A Complete Unknown”. We will provide tea, coffee and snacks. This event is provided in partnership with the Municipality of Northern Bruce Peninsula’s Senior Active Living Centre (SALC) funding with support from the Government of Ontario. Doors open at 1:00, movie starts at 1:30.
Also open to the public (by RSVP): Let’s Talk Lunch and Learn events with guest speakers. The events are free to attend but please register with Sharron Colter at 519-793-3473 or at dshcolter@eastlink.ca This series is sponsored by a 2026 Community Grant from the Municipality of Northern Bruce Peninsula, the Northern Bruce Peninsula Community Support Advisory Action Committee (NBP CSAAC), the Council on Aging Grey Bruce (COAGB) and Legion 202 Lion’s Head.
The dates are:
Friday May 22: 11am-2pm “Let’s Talk About Health and Wellness” with Dr. George Harpur of the Tobermory Family Health Team.
Friday June 12: 11am-2pm “Driving Safely Into Your Senior Years” with Kristy Kastelic, Regional Strategic Coordinator – West Region – Public Outreach & Education Office Ministry of Transportation Ontario.
Tuesday June 23: 10am-1pm “Let’s Talk About Senior Resources” Francesca Dobbyn, United Way Bruce Grey.
Our free weekly Tai Chi classes are Fridays, 9:30 to 10:30 am. This is open to the public, so if you’re interested just come out a few minutes early, and bring a dry pair of shoes with you. The focus of the moves are to stretch, improve balance, and of course, have fun. This is not a “hot” workout so casual wear is fine.
Join us on Mondays and Thursdays (Except the first Thursday of the month) at 1:00 pm for a fun round of darts. Doors open at 12:30, play begins at 1:00. It costs $3 to play. Saturday June 6th we play “darts for meat” where you play for a chance to bring home a prize cut, entry is $4.00 plus $1 per game (maximum $10 depending on your skill/luck). Our address is 6 Hellyer Road.
~ Lest we forget ~
