Growing Our Community: Fourth Annual Better at Home Provincial Meetup!

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.