The Government of B.C. has appointed Isobel Mackenzie as Canada's first seniors advocate, announced Health Minister Terry Lake recently.
"Isobel Mackenzie brings with her 18 years of experience working on behalf of seniors at a local, provincial and national level," said Lake. "I am confident that we have found a strong voice for B.C.'s nearly 700,000 seniors and I welcome Isobel as our first seniors advocate."
The Office of the Seniors Advocate will monitor seniors' services, promote awareness and work collaboratively with seniors, families, policymakers, service providers and others to identify solutions to systemic issues and make recommendations to government on ways to improve care for our aging population. After an executive search led by the Public Service Agency, Ms. Mackenzie accepted the position of seniors advocate with an official start date of March 31, 2014.
"It will take a collaborative effort to continue to address the complex needs of our seniors in B.C.," said Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health for Seniors, Linda Larson. "The Office of the Seniors Advocate will complement our robust system of supports already in place and is sure to be a vital source of information as we continue to shape policy and provide supports for seniors."
For more information, please visit the Office of the Seniors Advocate page located on the SeniorsBC website: www.gov.bc.ca/seniorsadvocate.