Eva Navrot is a seniors advocate who will be leading the charge on an event at the Seniors Activity Centre in Williams Lake on June 15, 2022.
The event will be part of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD), but the event will be all about helping support seniors and providing them with information in all kinds of areas.
From supporting seniors in filling out online forms and navigating different government systems or programs to helping educate vulnerable seniors and adults on emergency preparedness, the event is aimed at arming them with knowledge.
The afternoon will showcase services in the community seniors can access and will bring many of the service providers and agencies together in one place.
“I feel like we have a community that is rich in resources,” said Navrot, but some seniors may not know all of the programs and services available for support.
Navrot is also very focused on providing information on emergency preparedness, something highlighted during the 2017 wildfires in the area. She and Dave Dickson will be leading a workshop for seniors on how to be prepared and pre-registering for supports.
While many people may find it easy to get the information they need during an emergency, some seniors may not have access to a smart phone, computer or a vehicle during an emergency.
The goal of pre-registering seniors and vulnerable adults is to prevent those people from falling through the cracks in the case of an emergency, said Navrot.
She also wants organizations in the area to know the BC Community Response Network can provide tailored workshops of varied focus and length, live or via Zoom, to educate staff about elder abuse.
There are four main types of elder abuse: financial, physical, sexual and psychological, but there can also be other things to look out for, such as neglect or self-neglect.
She wants to help people become more aware of the signs someone might be experiencing some type of abuse or crisis and what services may need to be activated to support them.
The casual, walk-through event at the Seniors Activity Centre will include tea, coffee and snacks and will take place from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. and the emergency preparedness workshop is planned for shortly after 1 p.m.
Read more: SMART55: Seniors advocates here to help
ruth.lloyd@wltribune.com
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