District of 100 Mile House Councillor Ralph Fossum has been selected to sit on the province's new Seniors Advocate Council of Advisors.
He is one of 30 seniors who have been chosen by Seniors Advocate Isobel Mackenzie (appointed a year ago) to make up the new council. All of them are active in working with, and for, their peers in their respective communities.
Fossum says he now has the ability to voice overall issues from the South Cariboo to those who have the power to address them.
"[Mackenzie] holds the equivalent position to a deputy minister. So, she has virtually that same amount of leverage with our provincial government to bring about important changes."
Fossum adds he is confident his role will benefit seniors in the community in two ways. He not only has the ability to bring local issues to high levels of the provincial government, but he will also be hearing what issues other communities are having and what they are doing about them.
"I think it is a good group, with a broad and diverse range of background experience. All members are seniors and have been selected equitably from each of the five health authority regions across British Columbia."
At the first and only meeting held so far, the council members met one another, set priorities, identified common concerns and determined how to communicate with one another, he explains.
Fossum adds housing is the first big issue being looked at by Mackenzie, and a report will be coming out shortly.
"Housing is also a topic our local AGE-FRIENDLY steering committee is looking at. We have an aging population here, and all of us are going to need somewhere to live."
As for how his new role on Mackenzie's advisory council might co-ordinate with his local role in seniors advocacy, he says the AGE-FRIENDLY Rural Community Initiative actually involves a significantly broader scope.
The advisory council does not cover aspects, such as recreation, outdoor activity or community accessibility, but there is definitely some synchronicity, Fossum adds.
He notes the challenges for rural seniors often include difficulties in accessing health and living supports, such as in-home assistance that is not always available in more remote locations.
Fossum says he has also seen indications that transportation, particularly in many of the smaller communities, is a priority for the council, will be among the top items to be looked at.
The council will not have the capacity to follow up on specific problems encountered by individual seniors, but its members will likely have a host of appropriate contacts they can pass along as needed, he explains.
Fossum says there will be certain opportunities at the provincial level that do not exist locally, particularly through having a direct link to the Seniors Advocate.