A regional organization that supports seniors with everything from transportation and meal delivery to housekeeping and caregiver support could soon have a presence in Elk Point.

Age Friendly Cold Lake Executive Director Cathy Aust appeared before Elk Point Town Council on June 22 to outline the organization’s work and its vision of expanding services throughout the Lakeland.

Founded in 2019, Age Friendly Cold Lake now supports 164 active clients and has developed programs based on needs identified by local seniors.

“We feel very proud of what we’ve accomplished in six years,” Aust told council, explaining that the organization has grown from helping seniors access food during COVID to offering transportation, housekeeping, volunteer support, end-of-life companionship and caregiver resources.

Aust said many of the organization’s services exist because no one else was providing them.

She recalled seniors telling staff they couldn’t get to specialist appointments in Edmonton or afford housekeeping after returning home from hospital.

“So all of our programs that we have developed have come out of a need that they can’t find anywhere else in the community,” she said.

Transportation identified as a priority

One of the biggest needs Aust highlighted was transportation.

She said helping seniors get to medical appointments prevents declining health, reduces isolation and can ultimately lessen the burden on Alberta’s healthcare system.

Locally, she noted transportation has already been identified as an issue in Elk Point.

“I thought that’s maybe where we could start… to see if it’s something that is a priority to this council and to this municipality.”

Council agreed it is.

“We know transportation is definitely a priority,” one councillor responded, noting the Town has already been working with the County of St. Paul to expand the use of an existing accessible vehicle for medical appointments.

Council acknowledged, however, that a smaller vehicle may eventually be needed as demand grows.

Funding proposal raises questions

To expand regionally, Age Friendly Cold Lake is seeking municipal partnerships.

Aust proposed a three-year commitment of $50,000 annually from participating municipalities to help build sustainable services while continuing to pursue grants and fundraising.

Rather than creating separate organizations in each community, she envisions one regional umbrella organization that coordinates services across northeastern Alberta.

“We’re all competing for the same dollars,” Aust said, suggesting a regional model would provide better continuity of service while reducing duplication.

While council members praised the work being done, they also raised several questions about how the program would integrate with existing services such as FCSS, Meals on Wheels and local volunteer groups.

“We are very regionalized with FCSS and with the seniors living,” one councillor said. “It would be almost worth the conversation with the other municipal partners… so we’re making sure we’re covering all the bases.”

Another councillor added, “It’s a great program, but we want to make sure that we’re not stepping on toes of other organizations as well.”

Volunteer recruitment was another concern.

Council noted that finding volunteers is already difficult, particularly for existing programs like Meals on Wheels.

One councillor questioned whether bringing the service to Elk Point would ultimately require local volunteers and possibly even a local coordinator.

“It’s a really good program,” the councillor said, “but I would go into it very sober minded that it’s not going to be the same work here as it did in Cold Lake.”

More discussions to come

Rather than making an immediate financial commitment, council voted to direct administration to continue exploring the proposal, discuss it with neighbouring municipalities and examine how the program could fit alongside existing local services before future budget discussions.

“It’s worth keeping the conversation going,” one councillor concluded.