Winnipeg - Senior Women
November 24, 2005

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We had a great turn-out for our senior women's discussion group. Thanks to the Seniors' Directorate for helping bring together twelve wise and enthusiastic women. Women who attended the session were eager to talk about the challenges facing many senior women in Winnipeg. We learned terms such as "sidewalkability" - the ability to safely walk down a side walk; we heard many disheartening stories regarding the extremely high rate of senior women living in poverty - over 50% of unattached senior women in Manitoba are living below the poverty line. Many women living on Old Age Security and the Guaranteed Income Supplement find it extremely difficult to participate and contribute to society the way they once could. The difficulty arises from not having the income to adequately look after themselves, and therefore they find it difficult to contribute to others. Many find it frustrating when government talks about the importance of prevention in health care when many women receive no support for healthy diets on a low income.

Senior women have a wealth of knowledge and vast skills, yet many women feel that they are not acknowledged, valued or considered in a way that reflects their contributions and abilities.

Once again, as with all of the workshops, housing remains the number one concern. Women in Manitoba are asking for safe, decent and affordable housing.

The following ideas were generated by workshop participants as part of our gender budget consultations. Please note that this list does not represent the official position of the UN Platform for Action Committee Manitoba (UNPAC). Neither UNPAC nor all of the participants have endorsed these suggestions.

1. What are key concerns for women in your community?

• Housing – lack of appropriate, affordable
• Money – one spouse in extended care, one at home, not enough
  • Money to carry on a household
  • not enough for groceries, taxi
  • nowhere to apply for assistance
  • left with “$78” month - OAS personal care home, % of income
• Pension – women living alone, no private pension
  • Just depend on CPP and GIS
  • Some not even eligible for CPP
  • never made enough to have a pension, husband did not have pension
• Widows – live longer
  • in own home – cost of living increases
  • interest on investments, not paying off
  • quality of life decreases, no trips
  • cannot contribute as once did (ie buying textbooks for grandchildren in university)
• Recognition
  • world does not recognize contributions of seniors
  • what is a senior?
  • Small assistance does not allow senior women to participate in society as they would like, “I'm no use to anybody”
  • Lack of self worth
• Health
  • malnutrition
  • falls, depression, confusion results from lack of adequate food, environmentally triggered
  • if you do not have the money, cannot have healthy diet
  • medication is not always the answer
  • what about alternatives to health care, only focus on the mainstream
  • Dental care, preach prevention but yet not covered
  • Lack of knowledge – how to access?
  • Hearing aid batteries not covered
  • Deliberate over medication
  • Drugs – rising costs giving a pill is not healing
  • in 20 years seniors will out number children
• Employment
  • people who work with seniors are paid low end wages
  • cut backs/ lay offs of health care aides decrease personal care that seniors receive

2. a) What Government programs and services have really helped to meet women’s needs and concerns? How could they be expanded upon or made better?

• Senior MB Housing – but some housing is not safe
  • afraid to open door
  • bed bugs
  • building not maintained
  • mixed housing – people with emotional, alcohol problems - safety issues
• Home Care has helped – eg) 2 women at home age 96 – home care twice a day
  • hard to access, if first hospitalized easier to access
  • -eg) 2 weeks with a broken arm before help
  • -Best in Canada?
  • -coordination needs improvement
  • -bureaucratic nonsense
  • -advocate how to access/qualify
• OAS/GIS
  • okay, but cannot get supplements
  • has not kept pace with economy-inflation
• Special allowance – MB income supplement for seniors, not enough
• Mammograms – more efficient for women over 70, but at 69 is no longer automatic and free
• Eye Exams- free every two years (improve glaucoma. Macular degeneration)
• Community Programs
  • Meals on wheels
  • Creative Retirement – partially funded, should have a course on using services
  • Community Resource Council
  • Handi-Transit – but what about rural? No transportation to Winnipeg
  • -pick up times long waits or sometimes not picked up
  • -vehicles poorly maintained
  • -Caregiver service – respite volunteers to sit with seniors
  • -Cultural organizations – volunteer visiting programs
  • -Peer leaders, “stepping up and stepping out” (Healthy Living)
  • Age & Opportunity – ie hoarding programs help seniors clean out house (in many circumstances health care will not come in if hoarding is an issue)
  • Seniors Centres – non-profit ones are better
  • Co-op housing – need more
  • Seniors Job Bureau
• Health Links
• PharmaCare – based on family income
• Drugline (like health links)

2. b) Are there programs or services that should be stopped because they are not working?

• Financially unsustainable programs
  • build up expectation and then money is gone
  • volunteers have to support the program – may not be as committed
  • program may have been decent, yet funding is gone
• If Government creates a program, it should be their responsibility to deliver, not seniors' responsibility to find it
• Look at duplication of services

2. c) What other ideas do you have for programs and services that could meet women’s needs?

• Transportation – from rural to Winnipeg
  • use vans that sit idle at personal care homes
  • use school buses during the day
• Sidewalkability – ice six months of the year
  • program for clearing sidewalks
• Employment – training for older women who are employable
  • older immigrant women have skills yet cannot practice their profession – maybe willing to work with seniors.
  • We have workable/capable skills, where do we go?
  • Ask us – would like to be involved in solutions
• Mentorship Program – pair older capable women with young single moms
  • teach cooking, shopping, life skills
  • in highschool bring older women in as resources, prepare women for old age
• Income – make it okay to discuss financial need without stigma
  • develop program for women to apply for additional income
  • need a standard greater than poverty
  • more options to deal with lack of economic base
  • look at OAS/ GIS – how it supports, how is does not
  • 10-15 years since they raised OAS
• Medication Program – through pharmacy
  • to check people who are on lots of medication
  • clinics at pharmacies to talk about medical issues – people need to talk to others instead of read sheets
• Support Groups / senior centres
  • Women are lonely, sit at home and think about their ailments
  • Health education
• Multidisciplinary clinics
  • doctors on salary
  • nurse practioners
• Volunteer Programs
  • recognition – one woman since retirement has worked 8 hours a day for 13 years
  • volunteer work not respected
• Shared Community Gardens – seniors who need help in their gardens
• Healthy Eating programs – for seniors, preventative
• Funding for accountability and informed choice

3. Women often do not have enough money to do the things they need to do and they often do not have enough time to do the things they need to do either. Where are you crunched for time? What could the government do to give you more time to do the things you need to do?

• pool constituency assistant services
• different way of collecting school tax (not equitable across province)
• tax credits for seniors' and volunteers' work
• raise sales tax on luxury items
• high tax on liquor and tobacco is good
• take more off gambling revenue
• higher fees for American hunters and fishers
• redirect money for drugs into prevention eg) nutrition, wellbeing, health
• change direction of ship – greed versus quality of life – what are government’s values?
• they talk about prevention, but we do not see the action
• talk to us, Public Consultation – encourage public involvement
• take a look at duplication of services
• administration that is top heavy - WHRA

Steps for Local Action:

• Contact/visit MLA, MP – consistently, indicate anger
• Talk to at least one other person about what you did today – spread the news
• Election coming up – Speak now!
• Think of creative ways to get noticed by government officials