Summary of what people told us... |
Saanich Recreation and Seniors Organizational Partners
September 19, 2016 2-3:30pm
Attendance:
Songhees Nation
Cdn Diabetes Association
Saanich Parks & Recreation
CRD Housing
Seniors Serving Seniors
Consultant, working with Saanich
Island Health Authority / Yakimovich Wellness Centre
MS Society
Saanich Silver Threads
What is a partnership?
- Relationship building
- A way to collectively achieve goal
- Driven by needs in community
- Partnership takes work, many fail because we don’t put the amount of work in up front
- Need background work before it starts to avoid failure
- Target population should be involved in defining the partnership
- Isolate the need and find the organization to fill the void
- Start in the community, it is about social engagement.
- Being forthcoming and honest
- Clear goals and communications thorough the project
- Connection: shared vision about what is possible
- Commitment: building as agency not as individual
- Flexibility as shared process
- Has to have value for everyone, everyone benefits
- Compromise: willingness to let go if necessary
- Problem-solving is a group task - not up to the individual staff member. Involve patrons too
- Not always about money: what knowledge, experience can we share? Awareness of people capabilities/skills
- Some of the programs are not strictly in Saanich.
- Provide referral services for seniors
- Provide housing for low income seniors and people with disabilities
- Provide information, support, advocacy and equipment
Examples of current partnerships with Saanich Parks & Recreation:
- Saanich Better at Home
- Return to Health
- CDA Walk and Talk
- Take Heart
- Isolated Seniors Initiative
- Ipal
- Free education programs for seniors in the community
- Minds in Motion (Alzheimer Society)
- Steps To Connect (Island Health)
- Booksmack (GVPL)
- Boost Your Brain Power (Island Health)
What makes a successful partnership? What pieces need to be in place?
- Working in a sustainable partnership format
- Trust - how to build trust - incredibly forthcoming and honest with people, be honest with what I am trying to do and why. Other agencies may have these relationships already. Very present with the residents
- Clear goal and objectives; and communications throughout the project
- Sharing a vision - make it fun, and a connection - I like to like my partners and work with them. A bigger picture. Silos is gone.
- Commitment to building relationship as agencies - not just a personal connection. Long term planning (incl. goals/obj). Sustainability
- Communicate openly
- Flexibility
- Connect with one another
- Every partner benefits, something that they value – win/win for both
- Compromise - willing to let go if necessary
- Its not always about money - what knowledge, experience, etc can we share, including the clients involvement
- Problem-solving is a group task - not up to the individual staff member. Involve your patrons too. Sharing the question out.. Rather than taking it all on. How do we work better? = Collaboration
- Think outside of the box - is there a different way to do this? Who else can do this? A non-traditional approach
- Expanding your reach
- Opportunity to interact with others; engaging the whole family
- Engaging in creative, arts, social opportunities - not just the physical and fitness
- Take a holistic approach
- Think outside of the box - is there a different way to do this? Who else can do this? A non-traditional approach
- Funding to fund prevention, wellness programs, education
- Working together to go after funding, as partners, with data
- Collective Impact has 5 steps - all these little partnerships, off the side of the desk, but not affecting big change. Are we asking the right questions? The idea of Collective Impact (Paul Born). Big picture.
- Library doing some duplication of what rec is doing - thoughtful duplication, avoid duplication? Is someone else doing this better or more appropriately than us? Offers introductory sessions
- Some agencies can provide the expertise, Saanich provides the facility
Difficulties
- Many agencies function in isolation with the service they are mandated for
- Need to bring together the medical community with the recreation community
- Low income senior population living in isolation and do not know how to make connections
- Isolation is a major issue
- How to build trust with isolated population and other agencies
- Isolated seniors often have transportation and funding as barriers
How could we increase health professionals awareness of what Saanich P & R offers in support of rehabilitation and general health? What kind of opportunities/pieces need to be in place in order to make these ideas happen?
- The sticatto nature of programs (every 6 wks), need ongoing programs that he can refer people to. Not start and stops. How can we make this an ongoing program - it may not be at the same place but rotate around.
- Self-management - helping the person to learn how to ask/research
- People who don’t have a disease, but are generally not well. Haven’t had nutrition or dental care for years… Wellness 101.
- People need guides, help or support to self-manage. How can we offer that as a program?
- Don’t focus on doctors - focus on the patron’s needs
- Take the chronic condition away, and look at what we need to do to manage our health
- Offer Wellness 101 course for adults
- Referral resources are very necessary (a more well-rounded approach)
- Finding funding to support prevention, wellness programs, education
- Get funding to gather baseline information (metrics and numbers) to support programs
- How to pass along information to other organizations?
- Knowing who to call to get information
- How do we get all organizations to talk together so that it does not become “us and them”
- Getting together on a small and large scale to get to know each other
- Don’t focus on doctors - focus on the patron’s needs: how to navigate the system
- Focus on people who do not have a disease
- People need guides, help or support to self-manage. How can we offer that as a program (Wellness 101)? Self-management is being healthy, how do we de-medicalize people?
- Need for a service similar to Elder Friendly Community Network to diffuse information about programs
- Getting together on a small and large scale to get to know each others
- How do we avoid duplication of programs ( i.e. Library offers same programs than Saanich
- Who does keep track of programs in communities?
- Is someone else doing this better or more appropriately than us in the community?
Would you ever refer your clientele to Saanich P & R? If yes, what do you refer to? If no, why not? Do you know about community?
●Depends on what they are looking for
●Elder Friendly Community Network? Started 15 years ago - but gradually gone into private business networking. Meet the last Thursday of the month. Started to bring agency information together. How do we get the non-profits, government, First Nations, etc.
●What is the language we should use? To reach the population we wish to serve? How do we get this information out? How can we be more aware in preventative way?
About Recreation Centres
- People need a community; recreation centre is a “wellness church”, more than just exercise
- Opportunity to interact with others; engaging the whole family
- Engaging in creative, arts, social opportunities - not just the physical and fitness
At what age do you consider a person an older adult in your organization?
- Hard to define
- Someone who is entering a new phase of life, but physical limitations may put them into this new stage.
- Someone who is entering a new phase of life which isn’t as busy. Kind of retirement, where things are a little slower. Entering a ‘third chapter’.
- Some agencies have not put a number on age in their program
- Should not be a description of program offered as it would limit participation
- Its function more than age (all agreed)
- Health functions will limit people with no reflection on age.
- Putting an age on a program thus limits participation
- Why do we have to have a number? What does a number tell us?
- If you don’t frame it with an age, some will not attend.
How do we market things to older adults?
- Having hubs - like recreation centres, like Tim Hortons, Thriftys, libraries, where people congregate
- Better understanding of diversity and gender
- Harder to engage men in health
- A living document - Seniors Serving Seniors DIrectory
- Eldercare - is developing a Wellness Navigation Hub in Sooke. Self-service. Based on four pillars. Embrace Aging - to design something to share information. Wanted to portray again as positive. What is available to people year round as they age.
- HealthLink BC - coming to do a talk on November 28 at Yakomovich 9:30-11am.
What are the barriers to participation for older adults?
- Mid to low income struggling to afford exercises but don’t qualify for subsidies
- Dissemination of information: not getting to people who are not tech savvy
- Not knowing where to look for information
- People don’t think they need info until crisis happens
- Target market should be children of older adults
- Mobility
- Media portray aging as negative, need to show positive aspects
- The lower income get subsidies, but the middle bracket folks needing subsidies don’t get the help. I’m not doing this… because all costs are going up and I cannot afford this. How can we do programs differently?
- The dissemination of information. Who is it not getting to? Those who are not tech savvy. People not knowing where to look for information. Isolated - financially, social. Those not in crisis.
- Can target the children of older adults.
- When people get sick, then they look for help
- Mobility is a barrier - if you host something around food, some cannot feed themselves (MS)
- appreciate partnership between Gordon Head Rec Centre & ourselves in offering Motion Ways by our staff Lindsay Beal. It's allowed us to grow a new program in a cost-sharing fashion (our paid staff) to help launch & feed registration levels over time. Thank you!
- Appreciate partnership with Island Health rehab on falls prevention.Are there risk factors for Rec Ctres serving those at risk of falls. How do you manage this? If registrants don't have a loved one to accompany them, how do you manage safety? Do you have recreation assistants or in-house volunteers to assist vulnerable adults in these programs?
- Do you engage in joint programming with seniors centres such as Silver Threads and New Horizons? Are there opportunities to do so? What are the hurdles?
- Missing partners? You've probably already attended to the following, but just a few thoughts:
- Could a workshop on How to Get Help When You Need It be offered regularly by viha Home & Community Care staff at different Rec Centres?
- As you know, mental health services are hard to come by and anxiety is a significant health concern for many. What about mental health programs such as Mindfulness meditation by a BCalm practitioner? waitlist for BCalm services. Wonder if there would be more involvement if offered via Rec Centres
- Transportation mgmt. Are BC transit bus routes conducive to Rec Ctre access? What other transportation options can manage needs of those who don't drive.