Silvera’s Sassy Seniors take to the streets.
What’s New
During Seniors’ Week, Silvera residents took to the streets to have some fun. Watch our Sassy Seniors Videos by visiting us online www.silvera.ca.
MARKING MILESTONES
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SILVERA TIMES Silvera’s Community Newsletter - Summer 2012
There are just over 5,800 Canadians who have reached their 100th birthday, and Silvera’s Shouldice Community recently welcomed a new member to this exclusive club.
In honour of Silvera’s 50th anniversary, this year’s Spring Fling took place on May 23 at Heritage Park where guests had a chance to tour the Gasoline Alley museum. A sit-down, catered meal and entertainment by the a cappella group The Heebee-jeebees was made possible thanks to the generosity of Sam Switzer.
Staff at Shouldice say Joyce can always be counted on to greet everyone with a smile and a happy hello, and enjoys music, taking any opportunity to come out and listen and sing along.
Tour of Gasoline Alley
Heebee-jeebees entertaining the crowd
Joyce moved to Shouldice back in 1998 and has been a shining light in her community ever since. From everyone at Silvera for Seniors, happy birthday, Joyce!
Don Raine, Mountview Community
Happy Gang Kitchen Band
VOLUNTEER WITH US! Quilt made by Lise Hubbard
L to R: Pamila Fonseka – Manager of Fund Development, Sam Switzer – Sponsor of the Spring Fling event, Carolyn Reu – Secretary of the Sam and Betty Switzer Foundation
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! #804, 7015 Macleod Trail SW, Calgary, AB T2H 2K6 (t) 403.276.5541 | (f) 403.276.9152 contact@silvera.ca | www.silvera.ca
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Do you have a story to tell? Have a comment about something in this issue? We want to hear from you!
Silvera for Seniors always welcomes volunteers who want to help out during special events and programming. Do you have an area of expertise or interest that you want to share? Let us know and we’ll make sure your talents are put to good use! For more information about volunteer opportunities, contact Selina Clary at sclary@silvera.ca or call 403.470.1412.
E-mail us at times@silvera.ca, phone 403.567.5308 or write us at Silvera Times, c/o Silvera for Seniors, 804-7015 Macleod Tr. S.W., Calgary, AB, T2H 2K6 (attn. Silvana Saccomani).
Welcome to the Silvera Times! June marks one year since I joined Silvera for Seniors as its new CEO. I find it fitting that I joined Silvera during Alberta Seniors’ Week, when the Alberta Government and the seniors’ sector come together to highlight seniors’ issues. Over the past 12 months, I have learned so much about the needs and challenges facing our seniors. A lot of this new knowledge came directly from you, as I have had the absolute pleasure of visiting every community that Silvera owns or manages. And I will continue to listen — I am grateful for your feedback and for the chance to hear your stories, as there are no better experts on what seniors face on a daily basis than you, our Silvera residents.
UPDATE
SPRING FLING!
Joyce Chan celebrated her 100th birthday on May 29, but she hasn’t let a few extra candles slow her down. She still enjoys a weekly game of Mahjong, and can often be found challenging family and friends to a game — and she usually wins!
Your source for news about Silvera’s many communities in Calgary.
There have been a number of changes over the past year as we work to enhance our services and plan to increase our housing options. One of the most visible changes involves our name; to mark our 50th anniversary, we updated our name from MCF Housing for Seniors to Silvera for Seniors. I am proud of this new name, and I hope you are, too, as it reflects our expanded efforts to create a “new era for the Silver Generation.” Another thing I learned when visiting our communities was just how committed our staff and volunteers are to better serving you. As big as our organization is — with 1,500 residents in 30 communities across all four quadrants of Calgary — the hearts of our staff members and volunteers are much bigger. I want to say thanks to our incredibly hard-working staff and volunteers who are passionate about seniors and who take their jobs of serving you seriously. Obviously, Silvera for Seniors cannot do all this work alone. Our government partners – the City of Calgary and Province of Alberta – also help us to help you. We enjoy very good relationships with them and, last February, the province announced a $20-million expansion to Silvera’s Gilchrist Community in northeast Calgary that will add 121 new affordable suites. And, during the recent
provincial election campaign, 25 MLA candidates visited one or more of our communities. In the months and years ahead, we will continue to advocate for the needs of seniors and to also invite Calgarians to contribute to our efforts. What has not changed over the past year is Silvera’s commitment to you, our residents, and the quality of service we provide. Our goal is to improve and deepen these services, and to ensure every Silvera resident — whether in Supportive or Independent Living — has the same vibrant experience when they choose a Silvera community as their home. The Silvera Times, our new resident newsletter, is our newest initiative in helping our residents and staff stay connected. I want to share with you one last thing I learned this past year. I learned a strong voice is needed to advocate for seniors’ issues in Calgary. My personal promise to you is that I am committed to helping Silvera for Seniors be that strong voice. Stay tuned for more exciting announcements and events as our 50th anniversary celebrations continue! Arlene Adamson CEO, Silvera for Seniors
Silvera for Seniors hosted 100 residents of the Shaganappi community June 19 for an open house on future redevelopment of the former Jacques Lodge site off Bow Trail. The lively discussion was attended by Ald. John Mar and touched on issues relating to the development, envisioned as an integrated urban village focused on seniors. With construction still at least two years from starting, Silvera will study feedback from the open house as initial planning for the redevelopment continues. More information can be found at silvera.ca. Click on “Jacques Redevelopment.”
Did you know … that the Jacques Site off Bow Trail is
named for Calgary jeweller Henry Jacques, who donated the land to the City of Calgary in 1964 in honour of his parents, George and Mary?
silvera.ca | 403.276.5541
Photo Credit: James Michael Paul
Coulter says the heart of Cane Fun comes “from jeet kune do, which came to use from Bruce Lee. There is no right or wrong way [of doing it] – there’s a basic form to it, and then you just adapt it. Everyone is different.”
Rod Coulter
IN THE NEWS Canes find new use as handy fitness tool (Calgary Herald Neighbours, April 5, 2012; reprinted with permission) By Alex Frazer-Harrison A fitness program based in part on concepts developed by martial arts legend Bruce Lee has residents of Silvera for Seniors’ Shawnessy Community and the new Mobility Support Program enjoying extra energy and flexibility. Dubbed “Cane Fun,” the pilot program, presented by personal trainer Rod Coulter of Spirit Fitness, has been adapted for seniors with limited mobility and visual and hearing impairments. Using cardboard tubes in lieu of canes, the residents swing their arms in gentle movements, all the while seated; this, combined with breathing exercises, leaves the
dozen or so participants feeling the positive effects of a good workout – without leaving their seats. Gladys Ferrier, a resident of Silvera’s Mobility Support Program, says after several months of Cane Fun she’s able to more easily put on her coat and, being visually impaired, it has also allowed her to gain a better sense of space – of where she is standing, of where her arms are placed. “I feel privileged to have someone like Rod helping me, and to be able to take part in this,” she says. “I ask questions and I listen to what Rod is saying – he really explains about the space that you use.” Silvera resident Marguerite Dimmer recently turned 90, but says she plans to celebrate her 89th birthday this fall after experiencing Cane Fun.
Coulter says adapted Cane Fun addresses misconceptions about what it means to be physically fit and active. Participants don’t need to run laps to stay fit; seated, and doing simple, nonaggressive, gentle movements with a cane or cardboard tube, is more than enough to help them stay flexible and keep their minds active, he says. Cane Fun was launched as a pilot last winter as part of Silvera’s fitness offerings, and is particularly useful for residents of the Mobility Support Program, says CEO Arlene Adamson. “Our goal with this program is to increase strength, balance and endurance while reducing pain. Really, it is about overall health and well-being,” Adamson says. The program is aimed at seniors over 65 who need a wheelchair or scooter to get around, moderate (one-person) transfers, or supervision due to physical challenges such as impaired sight or balance problems.
BY THE NUMBERS
Canada’s 2011 census numbers, released in late May, show startling increases in the percentage of seniors in Canada. Here are a few highlights: People in Canada over age 65: 4.94 million, up 14.1 per cent over 2006. By comparison, the number of children under age 14 rose by only 0.5 per cent.
By 2016, Statistics Canada predicts seniors will outnumber Canadian children under the age of 14. People in Canada between the ages of 60 and 64 jumped 29.1 per cent between 2006 and 2011.
In 2011, there were 5,825 centenarians living in Canada, up 2,030 (or 53.5 per cent) from 2001.
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RESIDENT IN PROFILE – ELAINE HUSBAND Elaine Husband says she always has to have an opinion. Whether it’s discussing her enthusiasm for new federal NDP leader Tom Mulcair, or her desire to see more affordable housing in Calgary, the former alderman still enjoys speaking her mind. “I met Tommy Douglas when I was nine years old,” recalls Husband. “It was a great thrill to get to know him personally, and I even chaired the 50th anniversary of the founding of the CCF in Calgary.” Husband’s been an organizer since she was 15 and negotiated with town leaders in her hometown of Gravelbourg, Sask., to let local teens use the Legion Hall on Friday nights. Since then, she’s had a wide-ranging career that has included being a columnist for the Calgary Herald, working with Peter Gzowski on CBC Radio, seeking election as an NDP MLA, and serving as alderman for Ward 7 from 1980 to 1983. (“I was elected the same time as Ralph Klein,” she says.)
SPOTLIGHT ON… LORETTA DAUK
Husband moved into Silvera’s Dream Haven Community in West Hillhurst last year after relocating from the former Jacques Lodge. For her, it was a homecoming. “I’ve lived in this community since 1970, and I was pleased there was an option to move back into the old neighbourhood,” she says, adding the area holds a lot of memories – in fact, she’s a stone’s throw from the community centre whose planning committee she sat on. “I was also involved in initiating the Sunnyhill Housing Co-op [in Sunnyside] and I got to name it,” Husband says, adding affordable housing has always been a passion for her; she even chaired the City of Calgary’s Calhomes non-profit housing organization. “I think decent housing is an absolute right,” Husband says. “Even if it’s 300 square feet, it’s yours.” She also supports programs to aid seniors’ independence. “We set up a program to help seniors stay in their homes with housekeeping or whatever … now guess who’s getting housekeeping care? That’s my only kickback [from being in government]!” she laughs. Husband says many Canadian seniors are only just starting to realize the impact they can make in the community. “I think as long as people are interested in learning and have the ability to learn … I think no one should underestimate seniors, because we have the time, especially to listen,” she says.
Photo courtesy of Loretta Dauk
“I tell my family I’m at least two years younger than I was when I started,” she says. “I feel very much better in every way – I don’t have as many aches and pains as I used to.”
In her 21 years with Silvera, Loretta Dauk has seen it all. Since joining Silvera as a housekeeper at the Beaverdam Community in 1991, she’s gone on to work in the kitchen as a server, a dietary aid, and a fill-in cook. She tried her hand at the night shift and also covered Team Leader duties on weekends and holidays. In 2003, she joined the staff at Silvera’s Westview Community as a reception/administrative assistant, and has been part of the Westview family ever since. “This position has been my true passion in life,” she says. “When I reflect on the years employed with Silvera, I think of the friends I’ve made and the seniors that are present around me. They fill my days with satisfaction,” says Dauk. “Silvera has given me the opportunity to achieve goals in my life which leave me grateful and content.”
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