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Mono Council to recognize seniors throughout June

May 25, 2017   ·   0 Comments

By Jasen Obermeyer

Mono Council will be celebrating and recognizing the work of seniors in the community throughout the month of June, whether it’s engaging with them, taking photos, or hash tagging, and celebrating Seniors’ Month.

At Tuesday’s Council meeting, the theme evolved around seniors. A presentation was given by Aging Well in Dufferin, asking Council to help them raise awareness for seniors in Dufferin County throughout the month.

Jennifer McCallum, the Chair of Aging Well in Dufferin, gave the presentation, which provided instructions on how Council could spread awareness, by taking photos and posting them on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, with the hash tag “#AgingWellInDufferin” on all photos, along with specific hash tags for certain dates.

June 1 is Fall Prevention Day, and Council was asked to raise awareness for it by taking pictures of seniors and older adults engaging in physical exercise, strength building, or using mobility aids, and using the hash tags “#ItTakesACommunityToPreventFalls.”

“It takes all of you to prevent these falls and our community to provide more awareness,” said Ms. McCallum.

The plan for June 8 is to raise awareness on social isolation, by taking pictures of seniors engaging in social activities, volunteering in the community, and being with friends and family, using the specific hash tag “#Staying Connected.”

“Being in a rural area, we know that it can be a lot more challenging for our seniors that can’t get out due to lack of transportation,” explained Ms. McCallum.

June 15 is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, and Ms. McCallum asked Council to spread awareness by taking photos with an older adult in the community, tagging the photos with “@ElderAbuseOnt” and using the hash tags “#WEAAD2017AWID,” “#It’sNotRight” and “#EAO.”

Ms. McCallum explained that financial and neglect are the two most common forms of abuse for seniors.  “The majority of persons that are abused financially are abused by family members. We’re asking to try and look out for some of those signs. … We need to be informed about it.”

She asked council to always tag them in their posts with “@AWID” and to mention the Dufferin Seniors Circle. She also invited Council to Alexander Park on June 17, where there will be, for seniors, fall prevention demonstrations, exercises, and a musical dance.

Council proclaimed the month of June as the 33rd anniversary of Seniors’ Month in Ontario, the theme this year being “Living Your Best Life.” Mayor Laura Ryan read the proclamation to Council, encouraging citizens to recognize the accomplishments of seniors.

She later told the Citizen it’s important to acknowledge seniors because many volunteers are made up of them, and without those volunteers, “you’re community doesn’t thrive. We need to recognize them in all the work they do.”

Council also proclaimed the week of May 28 to June 3 as Tourism Week for Mono. Mayor Ryan also read the proclamation to Council, explaining the week heightens awareness that tourism is a great source of revenue, and it’s a wonderful way to broaden the community and expand what they have. “The opportunities that people enjoy when they come to visit, means they’ll continue to come back.”

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