Directory of Senior Services an important reference tool
EVERYBODY HAS a reference library of sorts, even if it only includes a phone book, a TV Guide and a Canadian Tire catalogue. It’s a set of resources you turn to for the minutiae of life that your brain can’t store.
If you are an older adult, a retiree or a caregiver, the Directory of Senior Services should be included in your home reference library. Produced by the Seniors Association of Greater Edmonton (SAGE) for more than 25 years, the Directory provides an easy-to-access A-to-Z listing of everything an older adult could possibly want to find. Legal Resources, leisure pursuits, health, transit, crisis and emergency numbers and seniors’ associations are just a few of the categories. Large type makes it easy to read, and wonderful little quotes about aging appear throughout the book.
Colour-coded housing-site maps are new to the latest edition of the Directory. The maps cover each quadrant of the city, featuring large grids that are easy to read. A seniors’ housing guide presents nearly 100 pages of housing options, along with tips and articles on homerelated issues.
David Loper is the communications co-ordinator and is part of the team that produces the Directory each year, and he gives a hearty thumbs-up to the volunteer team who help bring it all together. He also extends gratitude to the Alberta Health and the City of Edmonton, Family and Community Support Services divisions who sustain the Directory with financial support.
“Our Directory of Senior Services is a dynamic publication which is always in the process of being updated and expanded,” writes Loper. “Remember, non-profit senior-serving organizations are given free listings, so if someone isn’t here, let them know that you missed them.”
For-profit businesses support the Directory by purchasing ad space, and in return receive a free text listing. They help to make the Directory available to readers at no cost.
Here is a sample excerpt from the Directory of Senior Services:
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER WHEN COMPARING HOUSING OPTIONS
The staff and Board Members of Sage (Seniors Association of Greater Edmonton) have developed a checklist for you to use as you investigate the different housing options that may be able to provide accommodation and services that are required now and in the future (the seven-page checklist can be found on pages 164-170 in the 2012-2013 Directory). There are many facilities in the community and it can become confusing with the amount of information that you will be given. Our suggestion to make the search easier is to:
• Consider the area of the city that will provide the best access to services, amenities and family supports.
• Consider any services or activities that are very important to the potential resident (chapel, gardening, library etc.).
• Call the buildings that you are interested in and schedule a tour to view the building and individual suites.
• Use a separate checklist for each building. Feel free to make photocopies for your own use. When you have toured all the buildings that you are interested in, compare the completed checklists and make your decision. Eliminate the facilities that do not meet the specifications that are important to you.
The 2012/13 edition will be released in late September, and a copy of the Sage Directory of Senior Services will be provided to all Seniors’ Housing Forum participants. New this year is a What To Do When You Turn 65 checklist. Also new is the Directory’s interactive digital format. The more than 400 websites of related organizations are listed, and there are live links to the websites, a comprehensive search function and the ability to make digital notes and tag bookmarks. Additional print copies can be found at seniors’ centres, by calling 780-423-5510 or online at www.MySage.ca.
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