Driftwood tree shot wins photo contest

That’s some piece of driftwood.

This shot by “Vicki” of a giant tree thrown onto a beach by the waves is the winner in the Senior Travel Photo Contest that ended June 30. “Vicki” wins a prize of $50.

You too could win a $50 by entering vacation photos in the Senior Travel Photo Contest. A winning entry is selected every three months. The deadline for the new contest is September 30.

Mail your photographs to: Senior Travel Photo Contest, #112, 25 Chisholm Avenue, St. Albert, AB T8N 5A5.

To enter online or to view pictures submitted, go to www.seniorsGOtravel.com and click on “Travel Photo Contest.”

Two charged in robbery of Edmonton senior

Two young men are facing charges in connection with the beating and robbery of an 86-year-old man in Edmonton yesterday.

The Edmonton Police Service charged David Kendall Williams, 18, and a 17-year-old who cannot be named in accordance with the Youth Criminal Justice Act, with robbery, aggravated assault, two counts of possession of stolen property under $5,000, theft under $5,000, break and enter to commit theft, and possession of a weapon dangerous to the public.

Williams was charged with an additional charge of assaulting a peace officer related to his arrest.

The charges followed an incident in which Mike Madarash was assaulted by two males while working in the backyard of his home near 120 Avenue and 36 Street about 10:30 a.m. Tuesday.

They demanded money, struck Madarash with a weapon that may have been a collapsible baton and stole his wallet.

Police responded to the incident at 10:47 a.m., treated the victim and transported him to hospital. They later arrested the two males charged and a woman.

While the nature of the crime is certainly alarming, statistically seniors are less likely to become crime victims then the general population.

“It’s alarming, it’s rare,” said Insp. Joel Whittaker of the Edmonton Police about Tuesday’s violent robbery.

“I think we’re just as shocked as everybody else with this incident,” he told Edmonton Metro.

Flooding prompts New Horizons deadline extension

The flooding in southern Alberta has prompted the federal government to extend the application deadline for New Horizons program funding in the province.
Alberta seniors' organizations in Alberta now have until July 19 to submit applications for 2013-2014 New Horizons for Seniors funding.
"The call for proposals in Alberta has been extended by two weeks in response to significant damages caused by flooding in June 2013," stated Alice Wong, Minister of State (Seniors) on July 3. "It is important that all regions in Canada have the opportunity to benefit from projects led or inspired by seniors who make a difference in the lives of others and in their communities."
Seniors' organizations may receive up to $25,000 in New Horizons grant funding per year for projects that address one or more of the program's five objectives: volunteering, mentoring, expanding awareness of elder abuse, social participation and capital assistance.
Since its beginning, more than 12,200 projects in hundreds of communities across Canada have been funded through the program. The 2012-2013 call for proposals resulted in the approval of some 1,750 community-based projects.
More information about apply for funding is available at seniors.gc.ca.

Extendicare staff vote heavily in favour of strike

Workers at eight Extendicare long-term care facilities in Alberta have voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action.
A statement by the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE), which represents the workers, said that recent series of votes has set the stage for the largest seniors care strike in provincial history.
The AUPE Extendicare bargaining group includes 1,200 seniors care employees and is the largest private-sector seniors care bargaining group in Alberta.
The eight Extendicare facilities provide about 1,000 seniors care beds.
Despite the favourable vote, a strike is not automatic.
The union and Extendicare will meet with a mediator July 5 in Edmonton. If there is no resolution on July 5, the union says it will plan its next steps. If a strike is called, 72 hours notice will be given.
According to the union, Extendicare is seeking net earnings rollbacks, a major reduction in sick time and a drop in the number of named holidays to the lowest number in any healthcare agreement in Alberta.
"What the employer proposes could drive experienced staff away to work at other seniors care sites," said AUPE negotiator Kevin Davediuk. "The agreement the employer wants will discourage new staff from working for Extendicare. Without an agreement that keeps and attracts new staff, elderly residents will be left to suffer and we're fighting against that."
As reported by the AUPE, worksite votes in favour of strike action were as follows: Extendicare Eaux Claires, Edmonton, 93 per cent; Extendicare Holyrood, Edmonton, 97 per cent; Extendicare Athabasca, 100 per cent; Extendicare Mayerthorpe, 96 per cent; Extendicare Cedars Villa, Calgary, 95 per cent; Extendicare Hillcrest, Calgary, 95 per cent; Extendicare Michener Hill, Red Deer, 99 per cent; Extendicare Fairmont Park, Lethbridge, 100 per cent.

Free museum admissions during Seniors’ Week

Albertans who are 65 years and up receive free admission to Alberta’s 18 provincial historic sites and museums during Seniors’ Week, June 3 to 9.

These include Rutherford House, Royal Alberta Museum, Father Lacombe Chapel / Chapelle du Père Lacombe, Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village in the Edmonton area and Lougheed House in Calgary.

The free admission is in recognition of this year’s theme for the week, “Creative and Inspirational,” reflecting the spirit of seniors and the many roles they play in all Albertans’ lives.

Seniors’ Week kicked off with a ceremony at the Golden Age Centre in Grande Prairie.
“As grandparents, volunteers, employers, and employees, seniors continue to be leaders in our communities,” said George VanderBurg, associate minister of seniors. “Seniors’ Week is a great time to personally thank so many wonderful Albertans for their continued contributions to building a stronger province.”

As part of the week, a ceremony in Edmonton on Wednesday, June 5, to honour eight recipients of the Minister’s Seniors Service Awards. These awards celebrate individuals and organizations that make a difference in the lives of seniors. Eighty-eight nominations were received this year.

Read the June issue of the Edmonton Senior newspaper to find out about events taking place in Edmonton during Senior’s Week. The June Calgary Senior features coverage of some of the events taking place in Calgary. Information about other events taking place throughout the province is available on the website of the Seniors Advisory Council for Alberta.

Former Edmonton Senior columnist dies at 99

Former Edmonton Senior columnist Lou Broten has died at the age of 99.

His death occurred on May 7, following some years of ill health.

Broten was born in North Dakota in 1914, and then the family moved to a farm in Saskatchewan three years later.

During the course of his life he was a homesteader, freight train rider, salmon fisher, railway locomotive engineer and international trade union official, as well as a World War II veteran.

Broten began writing a column for the Edmonton Senior in 1994, his first venture into journalism. Adorned with a photo of him in his trademark hat, the column became a must-read for many of the newspaper’s readers.

“When I started writing articles for the Edmonton Senior I had no journalistic experience, so it was a matter of trial and error,” he once wrote. “Fortunately, as a senior citizen I had the experience of a lifetime on which to draw…”

He touched on politics and issues of the day, provincial, national and international, along with favourite topics such as the importance of growing food in the city.

Holding strong opinions but never shrill, Broten was an adherent of no particular party. A theme he returned to many times was the need for a new style of non-partisan politics and government.

Broten often drew on lessons from history, including his own experiences of the Depression and wartime, to point the out the path to social progress. He frequently used the image of the Roman god Janus, portrayed with two faces, one looking back and one looking forward, to emphasize the importance of looking at the events of the past to gain an understanding of the present and future.

The face of Janus also appeared on the cover of Looking Back, Looking Forward, a collection of 98 of the Edmonton Senior columns, published in 2003. Once the book was published, he and Vera, his wife of more than 60 years, promoted and sold it themselves.

Affected by worsening health, Broten wrote his last column in early 2009. A couple of years later Vera passed away.

On February 14, 2004, a couple of hundred people attended a party to celebrate his 90^th birthday at the Calder Seniors Drop-in Centre, where he had been president.

As reported in the Edmonton Senior, Broten told those in attendance, “I do know that if I am here for a purpose it has to be to contribute to this life and that’s what I have tried to do. If there is any purpose it has to be to make a better life for all of us.”

AUPE Cochrane rally to target senior care cuts

The Alberta Union of Public Employees (AUPE) is holding a rally Saturday, May 4, with the aim of drawhing attention to "debilitating" cuts to seniors care funding in the province.
The rally will take place at Bethany Care Society's Cochrane centre, 302 Quigley Drive, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
"Bethany Care Society is only one of the providers that has been forced to reduce staffing – both in terms of hours and actual employees – because of the cuts to seniors care funding in Alberta," said AUPE vice-president Susan Slade.
"In a province with an economy that's the envy of most of North America, it's baffling that our seniors, who have worked all their lives to make Alberta the success it is now, are bearing the brunt of this government's poor decision making."
According to the AUPE, funding reductions to seniors care providers like Bethany are a result of Alberta Health Services' new "Patient Care-Based Funding" model, said to be reducing patient care levels in non-profit and publicly operated seniors care facilities throughout the province.
"AHS says they are just reducing money to overfunded seniors homes, but despite what AHS says, our seniors care system is not overfunded," said Slade. "In fact, I think most people who have experienced the system would say that it is underfunded."
The union states that Bethany Care Society has encouraged families to hold their local MLAs accountable for the funding cuts and it is encouraging its members to do the same.