what spry seniors have to say: report on the community consultation with the seniors’ group...

7/29/2019 What SPRY Seniors Have to Say: Report on the Community Consultation with the Seniors Group SPRY in the Hill

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Creating Space for Strength:

An AssetBased Community Development

and Research Project for Calgary's North Central Communities

What SPRY Seniors Have to Say:

Report on the Community Consultation with

the Seniors Group SPRY in the Hills

Presented to the Steering Committee

March 9, 2013

Eaton International Consulting Inc.


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Preliminary report: Seniors Community Consultation 2

March, 2013 Eaton International Consulting Inc.

For information about this report, please contact the authors:

Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D. [email protected] Tunstall, Ph.D. [email protected] Dawson [email protected]

Copyright 2013 Aspen Family Services

Citation information:

Eaton, S.E., Dawson, V. and Tunstall, L. (2013). What SPRY Seniors Have to Say: Report onthe Community Consultation with the Seniors Group SPRY in the Hills: Creating Space for

Strength: An Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) and Research Project Focused onCalgary's North Central Communities. Aspen Family Services.


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Acknowledgements

We gratefully acknowledge the support and contributions of those who have helped us preparethis report and support this project:

Project Origins - Northern Hills Constituency Project Funders - Government of Alberta (CFEP Grant); United Way of Calgary and

Area; Aspen Family and Community Network Society; Northern Hills Community

Association

Project Supporters - Northern Hills Constituency; City of Calgary; Aspen Family andCommunity Network Society; Northern Hills Community Association; United Way

of Calgary and Area

We are especially thankful to the individuals who made the consultation with seniors a success:

Dell Sudnik, SPRY in the Hills founder All the SPRY seniors who participated in our study Moraig McCabe, Northern Hills Community Association Matt Pechey, Northern Hills Constituency Office


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Table of Contents

Introduction ............................................................................................................... 5Meeting Format ......................................................................................................... 5

Seniors concerns about income data ........................................................................ 6

Group consultation results ........................................................................................ 7

Q1: What is good and strong in our community? .................................................. 7

Q2: What could be better? ..................................................................................... 8

Q3: What do we want to see happen in 5 years? ................................................... 9

Q4: How do we get there? ................................................................................... 10

Directory of handymen and volunteers to help with odd jobs ............................. 10

Seniors top priorities .............................................................................................. 11

First priority ......................................................................................................... 11

Second priority .................................................................................................... 12

Third priority ....................................................................................................... 13

Researchers observations ....................................................................................... 14

Appendix 1: Meeting Agenda ................................................................................. 15

Appendix 2: Slide presentation ............................................................................... 16

Appendix 3 Questionnaire ................................................................................... 24

Appendix 4 Scribes Notes .................................................................................. 25

Table 1 Scribe: Vilma Dawson ......................................................................... 25

Table 2 Scribe: Moraig McCabe ...................................................................... 27


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Introduction

As part of the Creating Space for Strength: An Asset-Based Community Development and

Research Project for Calgary's North Central Communities, we wanted to incorporate the voices

of senior citizens in the Northern Hills area.

The SPRY in the Hills group, run by Dell Sudnik, invited us to one of their regular meetings at

the Panorama e-Community Centre. As the group meets regularly on Tuesday afternoons, we

coordinated with Northern Hills Community Association (NHCA) to schedule the community

consultation for Tuesday, January 22, 2013.

Meeting Format

Before the meeting, the agenda was e-mailed to Dell Sudnik and the Steering Committee

members who planned to attend. (See Appendix 1.)

The meeting started with an introduction of the members of the Steering Committee who were

there (Moraig McCabe (NHCA), Matt Pechey (Northern Hills Constituency Office), Sarah

Elaine Eaton and Vilma Dawson (Eaton International Consulting Inc.). Then, we went around

the room and each of the seniors introduced themselves and told us which community they lived

in. It was noted that there were no participants present from MacEwan Glen, Sandstone Valley,

Creekside or Evanston. In other words, all the participants lived in the Northern Hills

communities. Approximately 17 seniors took part in the afternoon consultation.

We presented an overview of the project with a slide presentation. A copy of the slides we used

is included in Appendix 2.

Conversation about some of the demographic data occurred and in particular, the participants

wanted to know how we got our information about the median income of seniors in the

communities we are studying. In this report we have provided more details about how we

accessed our information.

After the project introduction, we had a coffee break. The team took this time to discuss how theconsultation itself would proceed. We learned later that the seniors had hoped we would have

coffee and chat more with them.


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Following the coffee break, the seniors broke into two groups, each of eight or nine participants.

Each group then discussed these four questions:

1. What is good and strong in our community?2. What could be better?3. What do we want to see happen in 5 years?4. How do we get there?

The participants responses to these four questions are shared in the pages that follow.

Finally, the seniors were asked to fill out a questionnaire that asked them to select their top

priorities from a list that was given to them. Each person was asked to put a number one next to

their top priority, a number two next to their second-most important priority and a number three

next to their third most important priority.

Seniors concerns about income data

During the introductory presentation, a few of the participants asked how we got our

demographic information about the median income level of seniors in the community. The

median income rates for seniors were last reported as part of the 2006 federal census and

are taken from 2005 tax data. As seniors often live on fixed incomes, it seems fair to assume that

the rapid increase in household income that occurred within the rest of Calgary households

between 2006 and 2011 did not occur with seniors incomes. The median income for seniors in

the study area ($20,518) is slightlylower than the Calgary average ($22,625).

It is interesting to note that Panorama Hills has the lowest median income for seniors at $15,468,

while the highest is found in Country Hills at $25,429. Country Hills Village is next at $24,322.

As this consultation had seniors from only Northern Hills, many probably came from the

Panorama Hills community, which did have the lowest income rates at $15,468. This probably

contributed to the surprise at the study area median.


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Group consultation results

In this section of our report, we share key highlights of seniors responses to the four questions

we asked them. We have included the full transcript of each of the table scribes in Appendix 4.

Q1: What is good and strong in our community?

Participants listed numerous strengths in their communities. Though we did not ask them to do

so, they chose to talk about the strengths of their individual neighborhoods, as well as the overall

Northern Hills area.

Highlights of what the seniors shared follows:

Northern Hills Community Association

Participants noted the good work done by the community association and mentioned that they

appreciated the good relationship that they have with NHCA.

Commercial amenities

Participants talked about good shopping in the area and in particular:

Superstore T & T supermarket Movie theatres Banks

Participants also commented that there were some doctors and dentists in their community, but

noted that they are not all taking new patients.

Natural spaces

The green spaces, parks, walking and biking paths were seen by these participants as being a

definite asset in the community.

Quality of life

Participants commented on a variety of factors relating to the overall quality of life in the

community including good value for housing prices and low crime rates. There was a sense that

the Northern Hills is a good place to raise a family.


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Q2: What could be better?

The participants identified numerous priorities that focused around a few central themes:

Affordable programming

Participants commented that they would benefit from having more programs like those run by

the Kerby Centre. But it is not enough for the programs to exist, they must also be affordable for

seniors, who live on a limited budget.

Meeting space for seniors

The participants talked about how their group cannot grow in size because they have nowhere

else to go. Their current meeting space at the Panorama e-Community Centre works well for

smaller gatherings, but is not big enough for their growing needs.

The seniors talked about the importance of being able to socialize with others around their own

age in a safe, affordable space that is easy for them to access.

Improved public transportation

Some participants expressed frustration around the public transit system. They commented that

buses do not run frequently enough in their area. Those who do not drive are dependent on

either family members to give them rides or on the public transit system. Having more busesrunning more frequently would increase their sense of independence and mobility.

Medical services

Participants discussed the need for improved medical services at length. They highlighted

diagnostic and urgent care as being of particular importance to them. Some felt that Airdrie had

more accessible health services for seniors than what it is currently available in the Northern

Hills area.

Seniors housing and long-term care

Some participants commented on the growing need for affordable seniors housing and the

increasing need for long-term care for seniors in their community.


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Q3: What do we want to see happen in 5 years?

In general, the participants demonstrated great wisdom when it came to talking about what might

be realistic to expect over the next five years. Highlights include:

Prioritizing goals

Participants talked about the need to identify and then prioritize realistic goals that relate

specifically to seniors.

Increase affordable programming for seniors

One participant noted that with the population growing in the North Central communities, the

number of seniors is likely to grow, too.

Improved public transit

Participants were adamant that having more frequent bus service to their community wouldbenefit them greatly. They felt that this was achievable over the next five years.

Increased participation and community engagement

The seniors commented that they wanted more of their peers to get involved in programs in thecommunity. This group realized that they are a small, but engaged group of citizens. Theywanted to reach out more to other seniors in their communities and get them more involved.

Improved medical services

The participants came back to the issue of medical services for seniors repeatedly. They notedthat the need for medical services would only increase as population in the community increases.They commented that this is an issue that needs to be addressed before it becomes a crisis for thecommunity.

Help with odd jobs around the house

Participants at one of the two tables talked in some detail about their need to have a list of

reputable people whom they could trust to help them with small, ad hoc projects around thehouse such as putting up pictures and other odd jobs.


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Q4: How do we get there?

The final question generated both general and concrete ideas.

Lobby politicians

The seniors talked about letter-writing campaigns, petitions and talking with local politicians as away to have their voice heard in order to get their needs met. This particular group demonstrateda clear understanding of how, when and why to lobby elected officials.

Advocate for more affordable seniors programs

Participants talked about the possibility of entering into discussions with Cardel Place around theneed to have free, low-cost or subsidized programming for seniors.

Advocate for improved public transit

The participants talked about lobbying the City of Calgary and Calgary Transit for improved busservice in their community.

Directory of handymen and volunteers to help with odd jobs

One of the most inspiring results of the afternoon came from the table were they identified aneed to have help around the house for odd jobs. One participant suggested that the group puttogether its own guide of local handymen and volunteers that they could trust to come into their

homes.

They identified that services would need to be affordable for seniors and that they wanted to feelsafe and secure knowing that whoever was in their home was trustworthy and reputable.

One participant stepped up and volunteered to lead an initiative to put together an informalTrusted Guide of Handymen. Others offered to help her. Suggestions came in fromparticipants and others around resources they could access including contacting the ArushaCalgary to learn about their barter program, as well as contacting the Hillhurst-SunnysideCommunity Association, as someone had heard they already had a similar initiative.


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Seniors top priorities

The seniors identified their top three priorities through the questionnaire they filled out.

First priority

This group of seniors is actively engaged in regular meetings and feel they are outgrowing their

current space at the Panorama e-Community Centre. They noted that a community space to

gather, socialize and enjoy programs that are designed, especially for them was very important.

After that, access to emergency health services was identified as a key priority for seniors in the

community.


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Second priority

Seniors clearly identified access to health services as a top priority for them including access to

diagnostic services (such as blood tests, X-rays, etc.) and access to emergency health services.

In addition to health services, participants also identified access to recreation services as being

important to them. As we talked with participants, they clarified that although there are ample

recreation services available in the community through Cardel Place, they were particularly

interested in low-cost, affordable programs that are specifically designed for seniors. Several

participants commented that they are unable to afford the programs offered at Cardel Place.


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Third priority

As a group, the participants did not have consensus around a third priority. Instead, they

continued to emphasize that it was important to them to have a community space in which to

meet, good access to health services and affordable recreation programs.

They also identified traffic solutions, public transportation and cultural services as being

important to them.


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Researchers observations

We noted that while the group of 17 seniors present included two or three immigrants, none

appeared to be visible minorities and all appeared to be mostly able-bodied (i.e. no wheelchairs,

no walkers).

We understand that the results of our small consultation are not generalizable to the entire

population of seniors living in the north central communities, due to the limited sample size.

Nevertheless, the insights gained from this group of seniors are relevant. They are an informed

and engaged group of senior citizens who brought significant depth to their discussion and

shared much wisdom around what matters to them. The data gathered were reliable in the sense

that we posed specific questions that resulted in clear and comprehensible results.

From our experience as social science researchers, the SPRY in the Hills seniors group provided

much needed insights about what is important to seniors in the Northern Hills communities that

had never before been gathered scientifically.


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Appendix 1: Meeting Agenda

Creating Space for Strength: An Asset-Based Community Development and Research

Project Focused on Calgary's North Central Communities

SPRY in the Hills - Seniors Community ConsultationTuesday, January 22, 2013

2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Panorama Hills eCommunity Centre,

88 Panamount Hill NW, Calgary, AB T3K 5R9

The purpose of this community assessment is to find out what our communities strengths andassets are, what can be improved, and how. Identifying current resources, as well as needs, is akey step toward maximizing the potential for building an effective, locally relevant, andevidence-based community action plan.

Agenda

2:00 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. Introduction, background, project overview presentation2:45 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Coffee3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Interactive community consultation workshop

We are interested in hearing your voice. We want to know what you think is working well inyour community, what can be strengthened and how we can achieve the goals we set as acommunity.

Project Origins - Northern Hills ConstituencyProject Funders - Government of Alberta (CFEP Grant); United Way of Calgary and Area;Aspen Family and Community Network Society; Northern Hills Community AssociationProject Supporters - Northern Hills Constituency; City of Calgary; Aspen Family andCommunity Network Society; Northern Hills Community Association; United Way of Calgaryand Area

For more information:Sarah Eaton, Ph.D., Principal, Eaton International Consulting Inc.(403)[email protected]

orNorthern Hills Community Associationhttp://www.northernhills.ab.ca/(403)226-6422


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Appendix 2: Slide presentation


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Appendix 3 Questionnaire

Prioritizing community issues

Prioritize these key issues that have been identified:

1 = Most important to you

2 = Second most important to you

3 = Third most important to you

Your 1, 2 or 3 Key issue

Community gathering space

Emergency health services

Diagnostic services

Baby clinic

Traffic solutions

Public transit

Space for seniors to meet

Space for youth to meet

A public high school

Access to human services (e.g. parenting assistance, in-home

assistance

Cultural services (dance, art, etc.)

Recreation services


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Appendix 4 Scribes Notes

Table 1 Scribe: Vilma Dawson

1. What is good and strong in our community?

All of the seniors in this group came from the following communities:

Panorama Hills:

E-Centre. Sadly though, the computers dont work. 4 new schools in the area all spread out. Cardel Place. NHCA is there (Cardel Place). CPL is there with activities for seniors (once a month). Sadly, no hospital. Peter Lougheed and Foothills are the closest. Bike trails. Parks although the parks are more for kids.

Coventry Hills:

Accessible for banking, retail, Superstore, medical. Doctor in the mall (although they are not taking any new patients). Pre-school. Young families.

Homes are affordable. Good place to raise families. Low crime rates. Police and fire services are close.

Country Hills and Harvest Hills:

Golf courses Airport is close. Nose Hill Park. T & T Supermarket. Gyms. Medical clinics. Churches. Movie theatres (with seniors nights). Pods of 50 + (age wise). Supportive. Harvest Hills is quite diverse (including children).


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Cardel Place (too expensive). Calgary Public Library. E-Community Centre in Panorama. Public Transit is not the greatest. There is a golf course. Easily accessible to amenities by car.

2. What could be better?

Community Centre with programs like the Kerby Centre. City of Calgary should play a bigger role in assisting with subsidies for programs for

seniors.

Cardel Place will not do anything for free. There needs to be more participation by seniors. Cost is too prohibitive for seniors to access programs. If they had exercise programs it would be a magnet. If no e-Community Centre at Panorama all would be lost for seniors. Dell is the glue who holds the e-Community Centre program for seniors together. Transit passes are now $55 annually went up by $20 within a year. Schools can provide space for programs but it must be in the afternoon and not in the

evenings. Many seniors do not drive.

3. In 5 years?

Growth in senior population will more than double. We have an aging population. Seniors need to participate. Make seniors programs more structured. Too ad hoc at the moment. Need better snow removal, particularly in parking areas, in handicapped zones and public

pathways.

Need small hospital with emergency services. Beddington and Airdrie are the closest forthese two communities.

4. How do we get there?

Prioritize goals/plans - short-term; mid-term and long-term. Newsletters could be expanded to reach more if they had bigger spaces. More expected from the City subsidized programs. Accessibility is KEY and not just by car. Talk to elected officials. Facilitators Notes: $23,000 seniors income stats 2006 census many did not agree with

this figure. They felt that it was lower.


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Table 2 Scribe: Moraig McCabe

SENIORS CONSULTATION

Inc: NHCA SPRY in the Hills Group, Panorama resident seniors2:00-4:00 pm, Tuesday, January 22nd, 2013 at the Panorama e-Centre

Q&A session dialogue

Q1: What is good & strong in your community?

SPRY group Businesses / Lots of services

o Lots of banks, dentists, library, Cardel, doctors, shops, grocery stores.o Mainly centred in Country Hills Towne Centre, so many have to travel (cant

walk to shops). Buses (in Harvest Hills)

o Buses in Panorama Hills are not good.o Everyone is glad the LRT is coming.

Very strong community association (NHCA).Q2: What could be better?

LRT More buses

o More frequent buses are generally packed and often cant get on; some havehad to let four buses go past before one turns up that they can get on, especiallyduring commuter times.

o Some find it difficult to get to the e-Centre or the shops without access to a car(whether they drive or get a ride) unless they can walk there.

o Better route as current schedule/routes means it takes longer to go where theywant and they have to take two buses to go to the shopping area in their own

community.

Cardel is too expensiveo Cardel doesnt accept the fee assistance cards and wont recognize them as proof

of low income for their own low-income allowance program.

o Need City of Calgary subsidy for programs as too expensive for seniors, who areliving on fixed incomes (many didnt realise Cardel was run privately, although

on City land).

Cardel has nothing for seniorso No walking track.o Could use their space better.


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o Seniors fitness classes run by Cardel staff not designed for seniors (i.e. somehave heart problems, whereas others have osteoporosis, osteoarthritis or joint

problems apparently all seniors are treated the same, do the same exercises and

are pushed too hard, which is why SPRY now run their own fitness program),

Permanent place for seniorso SPRY group now at capacity and not enough room in Panorama e-Centre for any

more seniors in fitness class.

o Permanent place would allow SPRY to expand programming (time/space limitedat e-Centre) they would like to have something every day and expand to do

dance classes (or just dancing?), etc.

o e-Centre has no room for them June through September, so there is noprogramming for seniors during the summer.

o Permanent building would give seniors who have nowhere to go during the daysomewhere to go for free (like a drop-in); this was considered especially

important for seniors living with their kids who are left on their own during theday.

Medical serviceso Laboratory services -some spent a lot of time regularly travelling to

Beddington or Airdrie for regular tests; this can only be done with access to a

car/driver.

o Urgent Care Centre like Airdrie has so they dont have to go to theEmergency Department at the hospitals, which are not in the area.

Places for seniors to go without drivingo Seniors Playground like at North Hill Shopping centre.

More long-term care facilitieso A lot of couples are split into different areas of the city due to lack of beds/rooms

in the north if their partner is in the south, they spend most of the day travelling

there and back to visit.

o Waiting list for places in the north (not even just in the Northern Hills area) arevery long (years).

Housing for seniorso Specialized housing complexes for seniors (50+) where they can rent a condo or

apartment, where the complex has all the amenities and facilities they need (they

have these in Winnipeg).

Q3. What would you like to see in 5 years?

More long-term care facilitieso So people dont have to move to be near their husbands/wives when they go into

care.

o We wont be here in 20-30 years, so we need this quickly! Medical facilities


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o More doctors offices that are taking on patients.o Diagnostic/laboratory facility (long waits in Beddington of many hours).

More buses Cardel expansion including seniors (needs/input)

o Including a place for seniors to meet.o Including a walking track.o Including seniors rates (see Q2 re: fee assistance cards; apparently they dont

accept these for handicapped children either? The seniors suggested that

someone send out secret shoppers to confirm how seniors and handicapped are

not given help with fees, despite the Cardel program to give help with those on

low incomes Im not sure where from or what one would do with this

information?)

Trusted handyman guideo So seniors feel safe letting these people into their homes to do jobs they are no

longer able to do.o c.f. Hillhurst-Sunnyside guide.o Rent-a-husband.o Discounted for seniors.

Volunteers to help with odd jobs for seniorso Help with mowing lawns, landscaping & planting.o Help with snow clearing (apparently neighbourhood kids used to do this for the

elders in the community, but not anymore unless they know the seniors?)

o Help with little jobs.o Different from handymen because some seniors cant afford handymen.o Possibly contact Corporate Calgary?

Q4. How will we get there?

Lobby government (medical, long-term care)o Lobby elected officials: Teresa Woo-Paw (MLA) and Jim Stevenson (Alderman,

Ward 3) office (labs, doctors, urgent care, long-term care) write letters and

petition.

o Write to the Minister of Health get individuals to all write personal letters andsend them in a big package for impact.

Ask the City (buses)o Ask for buses to run in circuitous routes around the communities, stopping

outside the main shopping area of Country Hills Towne Centre so those without

cars can go shopping in Country Hills Towne Centre can go and come home again

without having to exchange at the bus hub opposite Cardel.

Talk to Cardel (seniors-friendly Cardel expansion)o Tell Cardel that we need a sports centre that considers the needs of seniors.


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o Get a group together to go and speak to Cardel Board and explain their issues /discuss what they would like to see in the expansion.

Do it themselves (Handyman Guide/Volunteer Guide)o This happens in lots of communities in Edmonton, so why not here?o Unless we get someone to head it up from the SPRY group, it wont happen (so

Marylin stepped up!)

o Start with one and build; do it slowly.o Ask someone who has already done it and build on their experience (Hillhurst-

Sunnyside contact from Dell).

o Ask the Hillhurst-Sunnyside contact how they got volunteers.o Ask community members to help to drive a senior in their street to the shops

when they go for their own shopping or get some shopping for them.

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