Seniors helped build the Canada we know and love today. But many face barriers that leave them feeling lonely, isolated and disconnected from their community. That has real costs: isolated seniors make more visits to emergency rooms, use more medication and enter residential care sooner. That is why the Government of Canada is supporting healthy aging and social engagement programs for seniors.
Today, the Honourable Deb Schulte, Minister of Seniors, announced over $9 million of investments in seniors in British Columbia through the New Horizons for Seniors Program (NHSP). The Minister announced that over the coming year close to 300 projects across the province will receive a total of more than $5.3 million from the NHSP’s community-based stream to help improve the well-being of seniors and foster their social inclusion. These projects will help ensure that seniors in British Columbia can benefit from, and contribute to, the quality of life in their communities through active living and participation in social activities.
Minister Schulte made the announcement at the Progressive Intercultural Community Services (PICS) Society. PICS will receive nearly $4 million in funding for a project to increase the social inclusion of multicultural seniors aged 55 and older in Surrey, British Columbia. The project is funded through the NHSP pan-Canadian stream.
In collaboration with key community organizations from the public and not-for-profit sectors, PICS will develop and implement a plan to improve access to communication, awareness, recreation, technology and transportation programs and services for multicultural seniors. In the context of this project, PICS will design project initiatives to better integrate these services for socially-isolated multicultural seniors in Surrey, so that they have more opportunities to be active and engaged in their community.
The NHSP is a federal grants and contributions program whose goal is to support projects that help improve the well-being and quality of life of seniors, and foster social inclusion and engagement of Canadian seniors in their communities. Budget 2019 invested an additional $100 million over five years in the NHSP.