“Jill’s” parents, Mr. and Mrs. “Ross”, followed their retirement dream and moved across the country. But when her dad died unexpectedly, Jill’s mom was suddenly alone. Mrs. Ross became depressed and isolated and her health was declining rapidly. When Jill realized her mom was in distress she made tons of calls and scoured the internet trying to find out how to help her mom. But the more she searched, the more frustrated and confused she became. “There’s just so much information out there. It’s impossible to find something if you don’t know what you are looking for. And how do you know what to trust?” Jill was almost in tears. The Eldercare Foundation, in partnership with BC Healthy Communities Society (BCHC), is endeavouring to address this issue so seniors across BC are able to happily age-in-place with the support of their community.
After extensive research, the Eldercare Foundation and BCHC have developed the ElderConnect Wellness Navigation System, which consists of online navigation platforms and face-to-face community supports. Thanks to a New Horizons for Seniors grant our pilot project began in Sooke in the spring of 2018 and will launch in March 2019, in conjunction with Embrace Aging Month. ElderConnect will make navigating the aging journey easier – whether you are looking to find resources for yourself or help a friend or loved one from 1,000 miles away. Not just another online resource, ElderConnect will incorporate a network of volunteer wayfinders that will help people navigate their journey of aging and get connected to their community. ElderConnect will use the same look, language and wayfinding in each community, so Jill can easily find reliable information and resources in her own, or any other, Elder-Connected community. And, because her local portal links to the ElderConnect Smart Hub, Jill can access worldwide resources and assessment tools at her fingertips. ElderConnect will be user friendly so, even if you’re not sure what you are looking for, the online information will be organized intuitively according to our 4 pillars of Embrace Aging – Be Well, Be Secure, Be Connected, Be Enriched. For Mrs. Ross, the face-to-face wayfinders and community initiatives will help her easily connect in person.