Resources For Seniors In Grey & Bruce
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Frequently Asked Questions:
Why do we need a Council on Aging Grey Bruce (COAGB)?
Extension of life expectancy, people are living longer. We believe that each person has the right to achieve full potential in enjoying life, participating in and contributing to it no matter what their age.
Do you know that not everyone is aware how seniors make a powerful and positive impact in their communities? If it wasn’t for the thousands of hours of volunteer service that seniors provide, many programs and services would not be possible. We need to inform the community the value seniors provide in their communities, otherwise seniors’ efforts are taken for granted and not recognized.
Who lead the movement for a Council on Aging Grey Bruce (COAGB)?
How was the Council on Aging Grey Bruce (COAGB) formed?
Interested individuals applied to sit on the COAGB Steering Committee in response to an ad in the newspaper. The Council on Aging Grey Bruce Steering Committee drafted the boundaries for the five Community Advisory Committee Areas.
Information Meetings were held in the 5 areas where Community Advisory Committees were formed. The intent is to provide information and encourage seniors, groups, clubs, organization, churches to join the movement.
Three individuals were selected from each of the 5 Community Advisory Committee areas to represent their area on the Council on Aging Grey Bruce. The 15 individuals in addition to 2 representatives from the United Seniors of Ontario (USCO Zone 9 and 32) formed the initial Council on Aging Grey Bruce. The COAGB elected a Chair, Vice Chair and Secretary/Treasurer at the first COAGB meeting held in March 2015.
Since the inception of the Council on Aging Grey Bruce these 5 areas have since been realigned to represent the 17 municipalities of Grey and Bruce Counties. With the Council on Aging Grey Bruce now having 1 representative from each of the 17 municipalities. Some representatives are volunteer representatives for their respective municipal area through a seniors’ organization and some representatives have been selected from their newly formed Seniors Advisory Committee in their respective municipality.
Who is the Council on Aging Grey Bruce (COAGB) responsible to?
What is the role of the Council on Aging Grey Bruce (COAGB)?
- Be the voice of seniors in our community
- Strive to create opportunities to build on each community’s strength and encourage quality services and programs that meets the needs of older adults and their families.
- Strive to ensure that community partnerships and collaborations are set as one of its main priorities. This is necessary in order to develop and deploy sweeping changes to address the approaching demographic shift.
- Provide an awareness campaign to seniors about the services that are available to them, help them find their way into the system and to navigate within it. Many government services are not user or senior friendly.
The initial application for funding to the Ontario Seniors’ Secretariat by the original Owen Sound and Area Seniors’ Centre was to implement a Council on Aging Grey Bruce with the objective to promote Age Friendly Communities initiatives within all 17 municipalities of Grey and Bruce Counties. The County of Grey, County of Bruce and the City of Owen Sound Councils supported the original funding application to the Ontario Seniors’ Secretariat, since renamed Ministry for Seniors and Accessibility.
How is the Council on Aging Grey Bruce (COAGB) funded?
How does the Council on Aging Grey Bruce (COAGB) affect change for seniors?
- The Senior Advisory Committees (SAC) have direct access to their Municipal Councils where changes can be made at the level.
- The COAGB has direct access to the Grey and Bruce County Councils where changes can be made at that level.
- The COAGB has direct access to the Resolution Process of the United Senior Citizens of Ontario (USCO) and the Ontario Association of Councils on Aging (OACA) who have direct access to the Ontario Ministry for Seniors and Accessibility. The USCO has two seats at the Ministry for Seniors and Accessibility table and the OACA has one seat at that same table. These three positions carry a lot of influence for Ontario Seniors.
How can people get involved or get more information?
More members means a stronger voice for seniors. Join the local Seniors Advisory Committee and actively promote an age Friendly Community in your municipality. Spread the word to all residents in your municipality to promote Age Friendly Initiatives.
Contact us if you need more information or if you want to become involved. Every voice counts to affect real change in our communities. Council on Aging Grey Bruce (COAGB) Executive Committee
- Tanya Shute (Chair)
- Jan Chamberlain (1st Vice/Housing Chair)
- Wally Halliday (2nd Vice/Communication Chair)
- Ros Brooks (Secretary)
- David Bradley (Treasurer)
ALCGB Office: (519) 376-8304
coagreybruce@gmail.com