Ontario to Create 40 New Seniors Active Living Centres
Ontario is creating more spaces and programs to help seniors stay healthy and active by supporting 40 new seniors' centres across the province. With a goal to support meeting the needs of our growing seniors' population, centres will offer social and recreational programming such as exercise classes, transportation services, communal dining and health and wellness classes.
These new centres will add to the network of 263
Elderly Persons Centres across Ontario that serve more than 100,000 people. A call for proposals will be issued in early fall 2017 to move forward with the new centres.
Ontario recently passed legislation that, once proclaimed, will rename these centres as
Senior Active Living Centres -- rather than Elderly Persons Centres -- to better reflect the vibrant, diverse and active seniors across the province. This legislation will also help the centres better respond to community needs, build strong partnerships, strengthen their services and act as community hubs.
Implications for Occupational Therapists
As healthcare moves ever more into the community with a focus on health and wellness, occupational therapists are encouraged to look for opportunities to share the role and contributions OTs can make to seniors’ health and well-being. Consideration should be given to the primary care, health promotion, injury prevention kinds of services that OTs might attach to a Seniors Active Living Centre. As home care services may be delivered in congregate settings, OTs may wish to promote group/centre based options for OT services to their
Local Health Integration Networks.
Why wait for the new centres to be developed? There are currently 263 Elderly Person Centres in the province that might be a venue for OT services.
Find a Centre near you!
Provide OT services in a Seniors Centre? Let OSOT know! The Society can share examples of OTs making a difference that serve as models, validation and promotion of new opportunities.
Contact osot@osot.on.ca.