Better at Home (BH) is a non-medical home support program managed by the United Way of the Lower Mainland (UWLM) and funded through the Government of British Columbia (BC). Non-medical home support services are designed to assist seniors with simple day-to-day tasks and are delivered primarily by non-profit agencies. Services provided across the 67 program locations include light yard work, minor home repairs, transportation to appointments, snow shoveling, light housekeeping, grocery shopping, and friendly visiting. The goals of the program are to help seniors continue to live independently in their own homes and remain connected to their communities.

UWLM is requesting proposals to evaluate the impact of the 6 Better at Home Rural and Remote Pilot programs across rural British Columbia. The 6 remote locations include : Arrow Lakes (Nakusp and area), Columbia Valley (Invermere and area), Granisle, North Central B.C. (Vanderhoof, Fraser Lake, Fort St. James and area), Robson Valley (Valemount and area) and Southern Gulf Islands (Pender, Mayne, Galiano and Satuna Islands). These programs commenced April 1st, 2015, and are the most recent additions to the provincial Better at Home program.  More details are found in the RFP here.

Proposal Deadline
Please email your proposal by November 4th, 2016 at 4PM to:

Kahir Lalji
Provincial Manager, Better at Home
United Way of the Lower Mainland
kahirl@betterathome.ca

See the posting also on Charity Village and Indeed.

Over 90 Coordinators, Assistants and Managers from across the province attended our fourth annual Better at Home Provincial Meetup at SFU Harbour Centre in vibrant downtown Vancouver!

The theme of the conference was “growing our community” and centered on a large, interactive tree with pots and seedlings that emulated a growing forest – a forest seeded by the program enriching ideas of our Coordinator network.

Participants learned about current provincial projects, such as the Provincial Integration Project, Rural and Remote Pilot Project, and updated provincial outreach materials, and had a chance to give input into how each project is being planned and rolled out.

Participants also joined focused training sessions on Elder Abuse, Mental Health and Aging, Enhancing Social Connectedness, and Age- and Dementia-Friendly Communities, delivered by our expert partners in community. Participants also held themed discussions with peers, and their findings will inform future program enhancements and will support best practices to meet the needs of seniors in our local communities.

Evening activities featured Poet, Writer and Instrumentalist Jorge Amigo and SFU gerontologist Dr. Habib Chaudhury who both shared ways we can work together to keep our communities safe and united in aging well.

Additionally, Better at Home has now formed a Provincial Reference Group – who met for their initial meeting post-Meetup – that will act as a consultative body to the Better at Home program,. The Reference Group represents stakeholders from across sectors, health authorities and geographical, cultural and educational backgrounds.

Better at Home wishes to extend our gratitude to the programs who engaged so passionately in the activities of annual Provincial Meetup.

To read more about the Meetup, please visit the United Way website.

Better at Home is funded by the Government of British Columbia and managed by the United Way of the Lower Mainland.