Blog
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Anita Monai-Brophy is developing a blog series to introduce our Board of Directors. Get to know the people who contribute to every Network decision and project.This is the first post of the series.
Meet Sandra
Sandra Hirst, Calgary, Alberta
Sandra acts as co-Chair of the CNPEA Board and sits on the Executive, Education, Sustainability and Policy committees. As co-Chair, Sandra assists in facilitating Board meetings and ensures that the work accomplished is always furthering the mission and vision of CNPEA. In addition, Sandra contributes to maintaining relationships with CNPEA members and other organizations, supporting collaborations and conversations between CNPEA and its partners. Sandra brings a wealth of knowledge and leadership skills to CNPEA, honed through her career as a professor in the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Calgary, her doctoral work and her research, which focused specifically on Elder Abuse in long-term care facilities. Her passion for working with older adults was fuelled by personal interest in the subject and by experiences within her own family. Once she retired and had some time on her hands, Sandra joined CNPEA, considering it a natural progression of her work. In her personal time, Sandra spends a lot of time baking during Covid-19, like many of us! She hopes to resume travelling around the world with her husband after the pandemic, first stop: Scandinavia.
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My name is Anita Monai-Brophy and I am a fourth-year student of the Bachelor of Social Work degree program at MacEwan University. I also have a previous Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology from the King’s University in Edmonton. Currently, I am taking my final practicum at SAGE Seniors Association and CNPEA. SAGE provides recreational and social programs, as well as, a safehouse for older adults fleeing elder abuse. I assist the staff at the safehouse, calling residents, facilitating groups, and researching community resources.
My work and volunteer experience so far have involved working with children, youth, and older adults. Through my father’s business, which provides lawn care services to people 65 and older, I have gained much experience assisting and building relationships with older people. I also became aware that people need increased access to community resources and education on signs of elder abuse and what to do in those situations. In addition to this, I assist my parents who are the primary caregivers to their parents on both sides of the family. These experiences inspired a special interest in and familiarity with the care of older adults, which has led me to social work.
I am hoping that my dual placement at SAGE and CNPEA will allow me to explore the connection between policy and practice, to gain knowledge about the work taking place across Canada, and to discover more about intergenerational programs and how they help combat ageism and abuse. I am hoping to learn more about elder abuse prevention and response, ageism, and existing supports for older adults. I look forward to applying the new skills and knowledge I acquire from this practicum into my future social work career through educating, enhancing, and expanding services for older adults. I hope to better inform my fellow co-workers and clients on the signs and impacts of elder abuse and ageism, in order to help prevent and counteract their negative effects within Edmonton and across the country.
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The National Initiative for the Care of the Elderly (NICE), CNPEA, and Elder Abuse Prevention Ontario are teaming up in 2021 to develop an online workshop series about elder abuse prevention and dementia.
"Nothing about us without us"
The project, led by NICE, and funded by New Horizons for Seniors, will rely on the participation of older adults to help inform the development of the workshops. Once completed, the workshops will also be facilitated by older adults.
Workshops will be developed between January and April 2021, with the help of an Advisory Committee composed of older adults. The series of 10-12 workshops is expected to launch in May 2021.
Open call for volunteers
Advisory Committee members will help
- help identify key issues and topics of interest
- collaborate as a group to develop workshop design and content
- be a representative and advocate for their community
This opportunity is open to all. People with lived experience of elder abuse or dementia are encouraged to apply.
Facilitators will:
- provide feedback on the workshop format and content
- educate other adults, caregivers and other knowledge users
- be a representative and advocate for their community
Facilitation or teaching experience preferable but not mandatory.
Expressions of interest for Advisory Committee member and facilitator roles are welcome
until January 29, 2021
Send your expression of interest and questions to:
Sharon Tan, Research Officer
National Initiative for the Care of the Elderly
647.362.6339.
Download the posters
Click on the picture to enlarge and download. Please share these calls for volunteers widely.
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Generational Allies is a workshop development project in support of older LGBQT2I+ inclusion, led by Onmyplanet.ca, in partnership with the Victoria Lesbian Care Society and funded by New Horizons for Seniors. The workshops will emanate from personal experience stories recorded specifically for this project, and will be delivered by older LGBQT2I+ volunteer facilitators to a wider population of seniors and elders.
The first step in this project is the Generational Allies Survey. The survey will help to determine which issues related to aging, most affect older LGBQT2I+ folks in our communities, and therefore will help to direct the development of the workshop materials. Participants from across Canada are welcome.
Learn more about the project and how to participate at: https://onmyplanet.ca/generational-allies
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From the National Institute on Ageing
In November, the National Institute on Ageing released myCOVIDVisitRisk, an online decision aid designed by Dr. Samir Sinha and a team of experts to assist individuals, families, and friends in considering the risks associated with visiting with others during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In all cases, Canadians are urged to follow all official COVID-19 guidelines and restrictions, but for people who need to care for others, or who live in areas with few restrictions, this tool will help assess the risks of visiting with others.
Using the best available scientific evidence and the input of leading experts in infectious diseases and epidemiology, this website has been designed to help people of different ages and states of health figure out how to more safely visit with others during the COVID-19 pandemic.
By working through the questions of this online decision aid, the NIA’s aim is to prepare you and your loved ones to better discuss the potential risks and benefits of visiting with each other and in the end make a well-informed choice on how to make any necessary visits as safe as possible.
