2018 FALL NEWSLETTER Message from the OACAO President Nancy Beddoe Fall is one of the busiest times at our centres with open houses; welcome back BBQ’s and a full complement of programs. This also OUR VISION true with the OACAO - read on in the newsletter to find out about what A world in which adults are aging successfully, the OACAO staff and your fellow members have been up to. continuing to contribute, remaining engaged, and where their contribution to society is The Executive recently met with the new Minister for Seniors and recognized and valued. Accessibility, Raymond Cho at Queen’s Park. Minister Cho has been a OUR MISSION municipal politician since 1991 and prior to that he was a social To be a recognized leader worker. We took the opportunity to provide Minister Cho and his staff in the development of quality services, resources and with an overview of the OACAO and the importance of seniors centres supports for our network to Ontario’s seniors. We noted how excited we were for the recent of community based funding of the 40 new SALCs and that we look forward to supporting older adult centres. the new Minister as he engages with seniors in Ontario. We look forward to having Minister Cho speak at our conference along with Ministry staff officials who will lead a Questions and Answer session after Minister Cho speaks. Aging Well – Turning Vision into Action Conference 2018 brochure is now available and the committee have planned a great 2 days!! From the informative workshops, to the motivational speakers, amazing entertainment and the return of Totally Epic Tuesday – this is one Conference you will not want to miss. Thanks to the OACAO staff team - Sue, Lina, Shelley and Marilyn, the OACAO Board members and OACAO volunteers for all of your hard work on behalf of the association. I look forward to seeing everyone in October, Nancy Beddoe President Retiree Health & Dental Insurance OASSIS has partnered with Prosum Health Benefits Inc. OASSIS Benefit Plans for Not-For-Profits recognizes the importance of this key retiree financial decision and has contracted the expertise of an industry specialist to help retirees navigate this critical process. Prosum Health Benefits Inc. is a national insurance agency focused on individual Health & Dental Insurance for retirees. They provide meaningful insights and solutions to retirees encountering the void in health insurance coverage as they head into retirement. Their primary goal is to educate the consumers so they can make informed health care decisions. There are two plans: Link & Zone The Link plan are conversion plans for anyone who is leaving a group insurance plan. The Zone plan are available to anyone at anytime. www.oassisplan.com www.prosumhealthbenefitsinc.ca OACAO 2018 FALL NEWSLETTER 2 | P a g e Message from the OACAO Executive Director Sue Hesjedahl Hello OACAO members, partners and friends. We are pleased to share our Fall Newsletter with you. You will find it filled with contributions from our Members and Business Partners as well as timely updates on the OACAO 2018 Aging Well conference, our upcoming Regional Workshops/Webinar series and other important OACAO initiatives and government relations work. OACAO Executive met with Hon. Raymond Cho, Minister for Seniors and Accessibility on August 10th, members of the OACAO Executive and I met with Minister Cho to inform the Minister about the important work that the OACAO does to support older adult centres and seniors’ organizations across Ontario. We highlighted the value of Seniors Active Living Centres (SALCs) and noted that the modest investment made by the Government of Ontario has a maximum impact on thousands of seniors in Ontario. We shared important OACAO research reports. Minister Cho and Ministry for Seniors and Accessibility officials will join us on Tuesday, Oct. 30th at our Aging Well Conference in Mississauga. We look forward to this important opportunity for our members to interact with Minister Cho and staff. The OACAO will soon launch our 2018 – 2019 New Horizons for Seniors Program project – Engaging Men in Older Adult Centres Across Ontario. The project includes 6 Regional Workshops and a Webinar with the purpose of educating OACAO members about the Men’s Sheds movement and other successful Men’s Health and Wellness programs. We welcome Maria Lindgren as our project consultant. We will be reaching out to our members this Fall to conduct a survey to gather information about successful male focused programs that are inclusive, reduce social isolation and improve health and wellbeing. Regional workshops will take place in early 2019, so please watch for more details. Watch the OACAO List Serve for more project details. We are pleased to welcome new Platinum Partner: Ezotec Inc. and two new Gold Business Partners: Royal Botanical Gardens and Parkland on the Glen. (see page 5). I would like to thank Bolton Mills Retirement Communities (https://www.espritlifestyle.com/locations/bolton-mills/) for sponsoring our 3rd Annual Euchre Charity Event held in late July. The event was fantastic and raised just under $1,000 for the OACAO. Heartfelt thanks go out to all our event sponsors, donors and participants! The OACAO staff team has been conducting a new member outreach campaign and as a result, we welcome nine new OACAO members since our last newsletter. (see page 4) The OACAO welcomes new Board member, Martha Mackintosh, as our South West Region Senior Rep. OACAO Awards: please consider nominating a colleague, volunteer, media or community partner for an OACAO Award. Nomination deadline is October 15. (see page 7) The OACAO Premier event of the year is almost hear! Register now for the OACAO 2018 Conference: AGING WELL: Turning Vision Into Action taking place Oct. 29 & 30. Refer to the OACAO 2018 Conference Information on page 8. The full conference brochure and registration details are available on the OACAO website (www.oacao.org). The Early Bird Registration Deadline and the hotel guest room block release date is October 4th. We thank our long-time Diamond Conference Sponsor and partner Arbor Memorial Inc. for their continued support. See you soon! Sue Hesjedahl OACAO Executive Director OACAO 2018 FALL NEWSLETTER 3 | P a g e OACAO Welcomes New Board Member MARTHA MACKINTOSH – WINDSOR – SOUTH WEST REGION SENIOR REPRESENTATIVE We would like to take this opportunity to introduce our NEW South West Region Senior Representative, Martha Mackintosh. Martha spent a large part of her career in the administration of social benefits having worked as a Director for HRDC/Service Canada and was active in community volunteering. She is currently a volunteer at Life After Fifty in Windsor where she previously served as a staff member and board member. Martha is eager to continue helping seniors so that they can lead active and healthy lives. She enjoys promoting the benefits of Ontario seniors’ centres in supporting health and wellness for the individual and society. Notice of Annual Meeting of Members 2018 TAKE NOTICE that the Annual Meeting of the Members of the OLDER ADULT CENTRES’ ASSOCIATION OF ONTARIO, INC. will be held at: Hilton Mississauga/ Meadowvale, 6750 Mississauga Road, Mississauga, Ontario Monday, October 29th, 2018, at the hour of 8:00 am 1. To receive the Financial Statement of the Corporation for the year ending March 31, 2018; 2. To appoint the Auditors of the Corporation for 2018-2019; 3. To amend the by-laws; 4. To elect the Directors of the Corporation; 5. To approve and ratify the acts of the Directors and Officers of the Corporation of 2017-2018; 6. To transact such further or other business as may be necessary or desirable in connection with the above or otherwise. Dated the 18th of September, 2018. Sharon Oatway Sharon Oatway, Secretary If you have any questions regarding the OACAO Annual Meeting, please contact Sue Hesjedahl, Executive Director at [email protected] or 905-584-8125. Welcome to our New Platinum Business Partner: Ezotec Inc. Welcome to our New Gold Business Partners: Royal Botanical Gardens Parkland on the Glen Welcome to our New Members: Southern Frontenac Community Services Corporation Community Centre 55 Algonquins of Pikwakanagan Killaloe Community Resource Centre Corporation of the Town of Arnprior Orangeville and District Senior Citizen’s Tim Anderson HOPE Resource Hub / Human Endeavour Inc. Sistering – A Women’s Place OACAO 2018 FALL NEWSLETTER 4 | P a g e Welcome to Our New OACAO Platinum Business Partner DID YOU KNOW - Every second of every day an adult aged 65 or older falls in the United States. Seniors should focus on training programs and exercises stimulating sensory reweighting as well as improving gaze stabilization by challenging vestibulo-ocular and vestibulocervical interactions. These functions are crucial for a well-functioning postural control system, especially considering that degeneration and disease often afflict these systems with aging. The EZOmat can help. HOW DOES IT WORK - EZOmats are designed and engineered based on the physics of action/reaction. The cones support your weight but will give slightly under the feet to create instability, absorb shock and rebound your body to make frequent adjustments. Even when you're not realizing it, EZOmats help enhance weight distribution. When standing or walking on our mat(s), you introduce subtle movement into your body and benefit from those simple contractions of the muscles. The muscles in your feet, calves, and legs are engaged because they have to adjust to the flexibility of the standing mat. These subtle movements shift weight throughout your lower extremities and balance out the amount of work each leg does. For more information or to purchase the EZOmat, please check us out at www.ezotec.com or contact us directly - Ross 226-927-3773 or Vijay 647-287-1847 and at our office 1-416-650-5144.