Province unveils new website for seniors

The provincial government has a new SeniorsBC.ca website that provides seniors and their families with information on available programs and services.

“B.C. is committed to building the best system of support for seniors in Canada and SeniorsBC.ca is one more step in the right direction,” Healthy Living and Sport Minister Ida Chong said in a statement released on Thursday.

“Through this easy-to-navigate website, people can now readily access current and relevant information about topics of interest to older British Columbians and their loved ones.”

The Ministry of Healthy Living and Sport surveyed older British Columbians and caregivers to learn what users would like to see on a website for seniors. The results of that survey were used to design and build SeniorsBC.ca.

The site provides up-to-date information about healthy living, transportation, finances, continuing education, recreation programs, volunteer opportunities for older adults, and more. The new website also features stories and profiles of older British Columbians and a regular e-newsletter to which visitors can subscribe.

SeniorsBC.ca also offers access to a number of useful videos for seniors including A Place for Everyone: Age-friendly Communities. Launched Thursday, it’s the sixth in a series of informative roundtable discussions produced by the Simon Fraser University (SFU) Seniors Program Outreach Project.

“This video is an important part of enhancing a dialogue with seniors about what age-friendly communities means for them and also provides a valuable tool for design approaches that work best for older adults,” said SFU Seniors Program Co-ordinator Julian Benedict. “I am pleased that SeniorsBC.ca offers us another avenue to promote this important project. This new website will be a valuable resource for our program and for other seniors’ service providers, allowing us to extend these kinds of discussions to more British Columbians than ever before.”

To learn more about the new website for seniors, or to access and watch A Place for Everyone, please visit www.SeniorsBC.ca.