When Cheryl Smith, program supervisor with the Home Support Stettler and District Association (HSSDA), filed an application to the popular federal grants program New Horizons for Seniors, both she and the HSSDA board were under no illusions about how difficult it would be to make the cut and receive funding.
Not only did the group make the cut, they received the highest amount of funding – $25,000 – possible through the program, announced by Crowfoot MP Kevin Sorenson during his open house in Stettler on Friday, March 28.
The number of applicants for the 2014 grant program numbered in excess of 25,000, according to Sorenson, so when Smith and the HSSDA board were notified they had made it to the list of final contenders, Smith said she was “so excited.”
“When we were called and told we got the full amount, I was just astounded,” she added. “I couldn’t believe it, because it’s such a worthwhile cause.”
While many applications to the New Horizons program are aimed at making sure organizations can tackle physical projects, like new buildings or major building repairs, HSSDA drew attention for being one of the few applications to focus on training instead.
The money will be used to educate caretakers in the communities served by the HSSDA as well as its own staff in elder abuse, a type of abuse becoming more and more prevalent and visible as Canada’s baby boomer generation ages.
“The challenges of our aging demographics, which will see the number of seniors double in the next 20 years, includes elder abuse,” Sorenson said. “This funding will help us ‘tool up’ to confront a program that we know exists and will in the future.”
For Smith, who attended seminars on elder abuse in the past several years in both Edmonton and Red Deer, the funding hasn’t arrived a moment too soon.
“It’s something I’m really passionate about,” she said. Elder abuse isn’t just the physical abuse, but includes sexual, emotional, verbal and financial as well. Neglect is another form of elder abuse.
Diane Ecklund, one of HSSDA’s board members, praised Smith for her work on the application, which took about two weeks of careful form completion and community networking.
“We really want to bring the notion that elder abuse is present in all communities,” she said.
There’s a whole division of telephone and Internet scams dedicated to tricking Canada’s elderly into parting with their money, an insidious and almost unprosecutable type of elder abuse, Sorenson noted.
“Canadian seniors have played a central part in building this country,” Sorenson said. “They have earned our respect and admiration. They deserve our support to help them enjoy the best quality of life possible.”
Sorenson praised the HSSDA, noting that “they are the ones who make sure we can improve and enhance local services and facilities.”
“Some of the most heartbreaking...parts of being a member of parliament is hearing the stories of abuse,” Sorenson stated. “It literally breaks your heart.”