AGING IN PLACE

Most seniors want to remain in their own home for as long as possible, and this issue is called 'aging in place'. This page includes local community resources, products, and articles of interest designed to assist in this process. These articles include such issues as financial planning, housing adaptations and home renovations, caregiving, and community support. For those considering a move to retirement residence or assisted living facility, we invite you to read our own comprehensive Senior Living publication "To Move or Not to Move."

PRODUCTS & SERVICES
    AIDS TO DAILY LIVING / MEDICAL SUPPLIES
    DOWNSIZING
    HOME CARE
    RESOURCES

ARTICLES
    ADAPTATIONS AND HOME RENOVATIONS
    CAREGIVING
    COMMUNITY SUPPORT
    FINANCES

Products & Services

AIDS TO DAILY LIVING / MEDICAL SUPPLIES

MEDIchair Victoria

MEDIchair Victoria prides itself on providing caring, knowledgeable and highly-trained home medical equipment specialists committed to finding the right solution for each customer. The store carries a comprehensive line of home medical equipment, including manual and power wheelchairs, seating systems, mobility scooters, lift chairs, stairlifts, walkers, canes/crutches, safety products for bath and bedroom, Aids to Daily Living, elevators and accessibility products, comfort products, care products, pediatric and bariatric products.
Website: http://www.medichair.com/DisplayStore.asp?ID=17 Phone: (250) 384-8000 Toll free: 1-800-528-9553 Email: victoria@medichair.ca Address: 1856 Quadra St Victoria BC V8T 4B9

Roadmasters Safety Group Inc.

Consultants offering training in Vehicle and Equipment Safety. Specializing not only in Emergency Services, Fleet Operations and Industrial Equipment but also providing refresher training to drivers of all ages in an interactive classroom environment.
Website: http://www.roadmasters.org/ Phone: (250) 383-6041 Email: roadmasters-vic@shaw.ca

DOWNSIZING

Changing Places

Moving? Aging In place? Let Changing Places take care of the details. We help people - particularly seniors - live full lives in a home environment that is right for them. Since 1991, our caring, client-focused approach to moving has eased the minds and lightened the stress of moving for many families. Depending on your wants and needs, we organize and adapt your current space so you can continue to live in your own home, or we care for you and your most precious belongings as you move to a new home. We handle downsizing, sorting and packing, decluttering and organizing, moving and house emptying, house rearranging, unpacking and settling in. Our free consultation ensures a customized approach to your needs. Services available in Victoria and Vancouver, BC.
Website: www.victoriamoves.com Phone: (250) 721-4490 (Victoria) Phone: (778) 628-0725 (Vancouver) Email: changing@islandnet.com

Cheri Crause & Rick Hoogendoorn, Royal Lepage Coast Capital Realty - Oak Bay, Victoria

Cheri Crause and Rick Hoogendoorn can help serve your real estate needs. Whether you are seeking your retirement dream home, investing in property and building your asset base, downsizing, or making another type of real estate move, we can help. Both Cheri and Rick are former financial planners. They are also Certified Senior Advisors, having taken specialized training in dealing with the financial, health and social issues related to aging. Both contributed to Senior Living Magazine's book "To Move or Not to Move".
Website: http://www.chericrause.com Phone: (250) 592-4422 Toll Free: 1 800 263-4753 Email: ccrause@shaw.ca Address: 1933 Oak Bay Avenue, Victoria, BC V8R 1C8

HOME CARE

Saint Elizabeth

Saint Elizabeth, a not-for-profit charitable organization, provides the highest quality home health care and support to seniors in Victoria and Sidney, British Columbia. Our caregivers provide elder care including personal care, companionship, housekeeping, nursing services, post-surgery care, dementia and Alzheimer care, respite care, palliative care, 24 hour assistance, light meal preparation and transportation services. Website: www.saintelizabeth.com Phone: (250) 385-0444 Email: paulacampbell@saintelizabeth.com Address: 550-2950 Douglas Street, Victoria, BC V8T 4N4

Home Instead Senior Care

At Home Instead Senior Care, we work diligently to meet your needs and more; we strive to exceed them. Although we are part of an international company — which gives us a world of experience and resources to draw on — we are a local business offering friendly, responsive care right in your neighborhood. We provide thousands of hours of senior home care services annually to seniors in their homes, in assisted-living facilities and even in nursing homes. In situations when a client has aging-related medical needs beyond our home care capabilities, we refer them to our close partners in the local health care industry.
Website: http://www.homeinstead.com Phone: (250) 382-6565

Nurse Next Door - Sidney

By choosing Nurse Next Door, you or your loved ones can now have professional elderly care and support in the comfort of your own home. Our personalized home health care programs allow you to receive as much or as little elderly home health care as you want, giving you the attention and assistance you need while leaving you with the independence and dignity you deserve.
Website: http://www.nursenextdoor.com Phone: (250) 667-0190 Email: saanich-sidney@nursenextdoor.com

Priority Time Errand and Concierge Services

We provide affordable, time-saving solutions to help fulfill the everyday needs and special requirements of busy individuals. For family caregivers we help to relieve the stress that comes with caring for elderly parents, while managing a career, maintaining a household and tending to children. We give seniors the opportunity to maintain their independence with compassionate service, including companionship, personal shopping, household maintenance and staying connected with loved ones. Busy professionals can relax knowing there is someone to help reduce their 'to do' list, giving them back valuable time to be more productive.
Website: http://prioritytime.ca Phone: (250) 590-3001 Email: info@prioritytime.ca

Sidney Senior Care
Our caring in-home support staff helps promote independence within the comfort of your own home environment. We help you get things done with grace and dignity so that your daily routine is as smooth and comfortable as possible.Services include: personal care, transportation, meal preparation and clean up, shopping with or for you,laundry, ironing, sewing, housekeeping and home maintenance, companionship and respite care, customized walks and outings.
Website: http://www.sidneyseniorcare.ca Phone: (250) 656-7176 Email: sidneyseniorcare@shaw.ca

RESOURCES

411 Seniors Centre Society, The

The 411 Seniors Centre is an easily accessible, multi-purpose social and recreational drop in facility for seniors, centrally located in downtown Vancouver. The Centre offers a variety of programs, services and special projects for seniors.
Website: 411seniors.bc.ca Phone: (604) 684-8171 Email: s411@411seniors.bc.ca Address: 411 Dunsmuir St. Vancouver, BC V6B 1X4

Family Caregivers Network Society

FCNS a not-for-profit society whose mission is to inform, support and educate on issues of concern to family caregivers. FCNS is governed by a volunteer board, 60% of who are or have been family caregivers themselves. FCNS provides many services and products to help family caregivers deal more effectively with the many day-to-day responsibilities including family caregiver support groups, telephone or in-person caregiver support, information and referral to community resources, assistance in navigating the healthcare system, educational workshops, resource library of books, videos and handouts, bi-monthly newsletter, and several published guides and booklets to assist caregivers.
Website: http://www.fcns-caregiving.org Phone: (250) 384-0408 Email: fcns@telus.net Address: 526 Michigan Street, Victoria BC V8V 1S2

Seniors Serving Seniors Association

Seniors Serving Seniors is a non-profit, non-partisan organization in Victoria whose purpose is to promote the well-being of senior citizens and represent their interests and concerns by collecting, researching and disseminating information, assisting in developing programs for senior citizens, and coordinating a network of organizations serving senior citizens.
Website: www.seniorsservingseniors.bc.ca Phone: (250) 382-4331 Email: info@seniorsservingseniors.bc.ca

VIHA (Vancouver Island Health Authority)

VIHA Home and Community Care provides health care and support services for people residing on Vancouver Island, to maximize client wellness and their ability to care for themselves. VIHA services supplement, but do not replace clients' efforts to care for themselves with the assistance of their family, firends and the community.
Website: www.viha.ca Phone: (250) 370-8699 Toll-free: 1-877-370-8699 Email: info@viha.ca

Articles

ADAPTATIONS AND HOME RENOVATIONS

Adapting Your Home

Few people have a perfect home, but minor changes can make life easier and safer for someone who may have some mobility limitations. READ MORE

How to Make a Home More Accommodating for Aging in Place

Seniors who want to age gracefully in their own homes or with their family, find that simple home modifications improve their quality of life, reduce opportunities for accidents and longer periods of time are spent independently in a familiar environment. READ MORE

Aging in Place - A Heathly Choice

A recent University of Victoria study calls it "the grey tsunami" - the fact that people live longer. And, in theory, this means that the medical system is overtaxed by the aging population. However, this is not necessarily true, despite the fact that centenarians are no longer a phenomenon. READ MORE

Aids to Daily Living

Aids to Daily Living (ADLs) are devices that help people with disabilities to function at their highest possible level and enjoy the highest possible quality of life. ADLs are also referred to as assistive devices, or adaptive technology. READ MORE

Relocation and Transition Specialists: Senior Consumers Drive an Emerging Field

Many niche businesses have emerged over the past decade which are focused on meeting the growing demands of the senior population. Relocation and Transition companies are one example of services that have emerged as the result of an unmet need of a large group of consumers. READ MORE.

Smart Downsizing

Moving can be overwhelming. Wondering what to do with years of possessions accumulated in the garage and attic can be enough to make a person think it's just easier to stay put. But when your living space no longer meets your needs - whether your home is too big to look after or you just want to get away from mowing the lawns, it may be time to consider downsizing. READ MORE

CAREGIVING

Coping with the Losses of Caregiving

Although we expect to grieve when someone dies or is diagnosed with a terminal illness, we may not expect the recurring grief we can experience throughout the time we care for that person. Facing ongoing loss is one of the many challenges that family caregivers encounter as we adjust to changes in our family member's health. READ MORE

Navigating the Healthcare System

The Home and Community Care program (HCC) of the Vancouver Island Health Authority (VIHA) provides community-based health services intended to support people with an acute or chronic illness or a physical disability to remain at home, as independently as possible. READ MORE

The Emotions of Caregiving

Family caregivers can experience a wide range of emotions in response to the demands of caregiving: anger, sadness, guilt, frustration and worry, as well as happiness and satisfaction. Left unexpressed, these emotions can lead to caregiver burnout and health problems. READ MORE

The Healthcare Team

Are you confused about the roles of the various members of the VIHA Home and Community Care Team? Don't worry, you are not alone. Figuring out the who, what and why of Home and Community Care can be daunting. READ MORE

Why is Consistency in Your Caregiver so Important?

Building a relationship of trust and respect does not happen overnight. When a caregiver is hired and comes into your home, they are also coming into an intimate part of your life. Building a rapport, a sense of trust and ease is vital for a great working relationship. READ MORE

COMMUNITY SUPPORT

Age-Friendly Communities

Sidewalks with no cracks, bank doors light enough for one person to open, restaurant bathroom stalls wide enough to accommodate a walker, businesses which actively recruit older adults as employees and recreation programs that mix the old and young are just some examples of what makes an age-friendly community. READ MORE

Community-based Support

Community-based support services incorporate a range of resources that assist people living at home with tasks of daily living, and help alleviate some of the demands placed on family caregivers. READ MORE

Palliative Care

Through your local health authority, a Case Manager can visit to set up home supports with a Community Support Worker for clients who need personal care or respite at home. READ MORE

FINANCES

Costs Associated with Assisted Living: In Home or Through Facility Care

These are the costs associated with assisted living: in home or through facility care. READ MORE