Minister Tassi meets with seniors in Woodstock, Chatham and Windsor to promote healthy aging and active participation in their communities
January 24, 2019 Woodstock, Chatham and Windsor, Ontario Employment and Social Development Canada
Seniors play an important role in our families, communities and workplaces. They helped build Canada and continue to contribute to its success. This is why the Government of Canada is committed to providing Canadian seniors with greater security and a better quality of life.
Today, the Honourable Filomena Tassi, Minister of Seniors, visited Woodstock, Chatham and Windsor, Ontario where she met with seniors and other partners to hear about issues important to older Canadians. During her discussions, the Minister encouraged seniors to stay active, engaged and informed, and highlighted a number of measures the Government of Canada has taken to improve their social and economic well-being.
While in Woodstock, and to mark Alzheimer Awareness Month, Minister Tassi visited the Alzheimer’s Society of Oxford, where she met with caregivers to hear about their experiences assisting people with dementia. She also learn more about the Society’s First Link program, designed to help newly diagnosed people with dementia get the help they need as soon as possible.
While in Chatham, Minister Tassi met with seniors and youth as part of an inter-generational project run by Junior Achievement of South Western Ontario, where seniors provide mentoring opportunities to youth to help them build valuable skills in areas such as entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and work readiness.
While in Windsor, the Minister visited the Family Services of Windsor Essex, where she met with employees and partner-agencies delivering services for seniors in the region. During her visit, Minister Tassi also visited Canterbury College to learn about the positive impact their Elder College program is having on seniors who want to stay physically, socially and intellectually active. Through the Government of Canada’s New Horizons for Seniors Program, the College received funding to purchase portable presentation kits so that it can bring its courses to seniors across 10 remote campuses in Windsor, Essex and Kent counties.
Seniors are the fastest-growing demographic group in Canada. By 2030, the number of seniors will reach 9.6 million people, representing close to one quarter of Canada’s population.
Canadians’ life expectancy is expected to continue rising—Canadian men and women born in 2016 will live on average to age 87 and 90, respectively.
Quotes
“Seniors give so much to our society and their positive actions can be felt all across our country. Their valuable contributions to our communities deserve to be celebrated every day. That is why seniors are a top priority for our government and we are focusing on issues that affect them directly including income security, affordable housing and healthy aging. Today, I was pleased to witness how funding from the New Horizons for Seniors program is encouraging seniors to further their education, and how it is offering support to people living with dementia and their caregivers. ”
-The Honourable Filomena Tassi, Minister of Seniors
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Contacts
For media enquiries, please contact:
Annabelle Archambault
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Seniors
613-462-7126
annabelle.archambault@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca
Media Relations Office
Employment and Social Development Canada
819-994-5559
media@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca
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