Outstanding Volunteer Award - Joaquin Valdez at Seine River

A 13 year old with a heart of gold is somewhat of a rarity in this day and age. Add to that an abiding respect and love for seniors, and one can’t help but feel that a true gem has been uncovered.

Thank you Joaquin from everyone at ASC

Joaquin Valdez was born and raised in Peru. The deep appreciation he has for his elders began at a very young age, while growing up at the feet of his grandfather. Close ties through the generations are very important to his family. However, this made it extremely difficult to say goodbye when his parents decided to move the family to Canada. Yet, through his volunteer work at Seine River Retirement Residence, Joaquin has found many surrogate grandparents. And surprisingly, it happened almost by accident.

After his dad missed picking him up from school one day, Joaquin decided to walk over to Seine River where his mother was volunteering in order to get a ride home. Work was being done for Elder Abuse Awareness Day, and rather than just wait around for his mom to finish, he jumped right in to help…and has volunteered there ever since.

Because of his selfless spirit and unwavering commitment, Joaquin is a recipient of an All Seniors Care Outstanding Volunteer Award for 2012. The award seeks to acknowledge and thank outstanding individuals who donate their time and talent to an All Seniors Care residence. Joaquin will be receiving his award at ASC’s volunteer appreciation brunch - “Did anyone tell you today, You’re Terrific!”.

Some of Joaquin’s more memorable volunteering moments occurred when he helped out as a dog-walker for the residents with pets, “A dog got away from me once. Luckily he was still inside the building so I tracked him down,” he laughs. He’s also assisted with lawn care, office work, field trips and friendly visiting. “The field trips are fun, plus I get to see a lot more of the city and learn where things are.” He also recounts a very touching moment when he went to deliver some mail to a resident who had had to move to a different location. “I remember I got there about 4pm to drop the mail off, and didn’t leave until 7pm…we just spent the time talking.” 

It hard to believe this is a young man of only 13, who forges strong relationships, regardless of age, by simply caring. “Joaquin is the perfect example of how strong relationships, where all stereotypes about age are dissolved, can be formed,” states Heather Mutcheson, Vice-President, Manitoba Region. “He has such a respect for the wisdom of his elders, no doubt from the relationship he had with his grandfather.”

Beyond his volunteer work, Joaquin likes to play in a band, do lighting work for school productions, and hang out with his sister. Both Valdez kids hope to go into medicine one day. And if Joaquin’s compassion and maturity are any indication, they will go extremely far, blazing trails the whole way.

On behalf of All Seniors Care and the staff and tenants of Seine River, congratulations to Joaquin, and thank you for caring. You’re terrific!

Retirement Age rises from 65 to 67

Thursday's announcement appears to have solidified all the talk about raising the retirement age. For all individuals under the age of 54, collecting Old Age Security will begin at 67, up from 65. What do you think?

See an excerpt from a CBC article below.

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Budget makes late retirement the new normal

By Kazi Stastna, CBC News

The news was not unexpected, and for those of Generation X age or younger, it was simply more confirmation of what they've been told most of their lives: expect to work longer and retire poorer than your parents.

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty announced in Thursday's federal budget that the government is raising the age of eligibility for Old Age Securityfrom 65 to 67. The government had already hinted it would do so earlier this year, but made it official in the budget, saying it will phase in the changes over six years starting in April 2023 and won't apply the new rules to anyone born before April 1,1958.

See the rest of the CBC article here.

Source URL: http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/taxseason/story/2012/03/29/f-budget-old-age-security--interview-woolley.html

Minister of Seniors praises Summerwood Village

Minister of Seniors, George VanderBurg, visits with residents

George VanderBurg, Alberta's recently appointed Minister of Seniors, visited an All Seniors Care residence last week. 

The Edmonton suburb of Sherwood Park is home to our own Summerwood Village Retirement Residence. Below is an excerpt from a Sherwood Park news article, written about the minister's visit.

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The casual social event gave residents a chance to visit with VanderBurg and discuss any concerns, or simply socialize. VanderBurg has been minster of seniors for four months and said any time he can visit seniors’ facilities is a beneficial opportunity to share best practices.

“By far this is a facility I haven’t seen anywhere else in the province,” he said of Summerwood, adding that the level of care in different parts of the province has been amazing. “We want different options for seniors and this is an option that is pretty appealing, I’ll tell you that.”

Aspects of Summerwood that set the bar for VanderBurg were its suites, which he was given a tour of prior to the social, the facility’s system of support in regards to health care and the overall safety of the building.

Read the rest here.

Source URL: Sherwood Park News - by Meaghan Baxter

Good times with friends, good deeds for charity.

Meet the Victoria Landing Knitting Circle.

Brandon, Manitoba is home to All Seniors Care's Victoria Landing Retirement Residence as well as a fantastic group of individuals who are putting their skills to work, for the betterment of the community.

Every Wednesday morning, between 8-10 ladies meet to share a cup of tea, lots smiles and plenty  of clothing. These ladies once a week throughout the entire year in order to prepare for an annual sale which they manage.

Sweaters, scarves, toques, mitts and more! The Knitting Circle sells their beautifully hand-made clothes and donates all the proceeds to the local Brandon Community Food Bank. Any clothing items that don't sell are put into hampers for the Salvation Army.

A rare gesture to donate brand new clothes to charity! This past October, they made a $1,356 contribution to the food bank thanks to a year of hard work.

We are very proud of the community spirit present at Victoria Landing and commend the Knitting Circle on the continued generosity of their weekly pastime.

Ring the Bells! - It's an All Seniors Care Wedding.

By Danny Hooper

Doris Mahon, 89, and Clarence Thompson, 94, will wed Saturday at Rutherford Heights Retirement Residence.

He’s Counting The Sleeps.

And for good reason. Saturday night, 94-year-old Clarence Thompson will finally get to sleep with his sweetheart, 89-year-old Doris Mahon. The couple will wed in the afternoon in a small chapel at the Rutherford Heights Retirement Residence in south Edmonton, where they both now live, but in separate suites.

The twice-widowed Doris moved into the complex back in the summer of 2008, the long-retired meteorologist Clarence showed up roughly 6 months later, and was quickly smitten. Unable to eat, unable to sleep, he set his mind to marrying the lovely Doris, but how to go about it? Meteorologists, after all, tend to be a shy lot.

His early attempts at courtship went unnoticed, thanks in no small part to the competition from other men at Rutherford, all better shuffle-boarders, bridge players, and dancers.

But somewhere along the way all that changed and Doris finally noticed Clarence, who proposed earlier this summer, shortly before her birthday.

A man of many tributes, what Doris loves most is his sense of humour. On their first date she asked if he’d ever been married. After pondering the question awhile he replied, with a twinkle in his eye, “I don’t remember.”

Volunteering is a wonderful opportunity to benefit and support others in your community

"The heart of a volunteer is not measures in size, but by the depth of the commitment to make a difference in the lives of others."

Seniors Games 2011: A Healthy and Active Success!

Thousands of seniors from across the country celebrated an exciting week of the Annual All Seniors Care Senior Games. They joined to walk, compete on the Wii game console, chock their cues, play their best (card) hands, swim and have a great time. When the week was done, all enjoyed the benefits of stepping up their game and keeping active in a fun and social atmosphere.

Full story here: http://www.allseniorscare.com/news/press-release/asc-winter-games-will-begin-february-7th-2011