The provincial government has announced the creation of a new committee that will look at ways of keeping more rural seniors in their home communities – benefiting those same communities, in turn, by helping to retain a very valuable human resource that might otherwise be lost.
The Aging in Rural Community project will create a “replicable economically and socially beneficial” model allowing rural seniors to remain in Alberta towns, villages and surrounding areas, say organizers.
The project will see the establishment of the Rural Seniors Advisory Committee, comprised of volunteers, consultants from various seniors' organizations, and staff members from various government departments. The committee will spearhead the gathering of information that will go into the creation of the model, which, once completed, will have applications across the province, including right here in West Central Alberta.
“With Alberta's elderly population growing, rural communities face an increased demand to provide support systems to help seniors stay in their communities,” Evan Berger, minister of agriculture and rural development, said in announcing the project last week.
“The Aging in Rural Community project will look at how seniors and their communities can adapt and provide the needed social solutions for an aging rural population.”
Through the Rural Alberta Development Fund, $725,000 is being made available for “this collaborative community-driven initiative aimed at engaging rural seniors and their communities in designing and implementing rural aging solutions for essential services such as housing and advanced care needs,” he said.
With Alberta's senior population expected to continue to grow over the coming decade, finding ways to keep older Albertans in their home communities longer makes nothing but good sense, both at an economic and social level.
On the other hand, when seniors are forced to leave their home communities because of a lack of housing and health care, fewer job opportunities and other factors, nobody benefits.
With many communities struggling to meet the needs of the growing senior population these days, the time is certainly ripe for new solutions and for forward looking plans and projects.
“The research supporting the benefits of having rural seniors age in their communities will provide decision-makers in government, business and the non-profit sector with the knowledge to ultimately create effective policies and strategies,” said Marie Logan, chairperson of the Rural Alberta Development Fund.
If this new committee leads to more seniors contributing to rural communities for more years, it will be great news for every resident of West Central Alberta.
And as for the $725,000 cost, if things work out as hoped, it will be money very well spent and a worthwhile investment in Alberta's future.
