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Wells Gray Country Seniors Society hosts seniors symposium.

The event began at Dutch Lake Community Centre with seniors being greeted by high school students
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Lin Chen (l) from Seniors First BC shows Lynne Frizzle, seniors coordinator for Wells Gray Country Seniors Society, some of her literature.

By Sandra Holmes

Wells Gray Country Seniors Society celebrated its year-long Elder Abuse Prevention Program on Wednesday, Feb. 28, with an informative seniors symposium.

The all-day event began at Dutch Lake Community Centre with seniors being greeted by high school students, who helped those who needed assistance to navigate safely through the snow.

READ MORE: Wells Gray Country Seniors Society celebrates 10 years (Jun. 16, 2017)

Twenty-four booths around the gym displayed information about the many services in our community that offer programs and assistance to the older adult and the community at large. The participants learned about the health benefits of massage, how to perform CPR, income tax tips from Service Canada and the value of comfort pets, to name just a few.

Lin Chen from Seniors First BC presented two workshops. During the day she spoke to a crowd of 90 participants about the various forms of abuse. She talked about what services are available for seniors who find themselves in need of help and the important topic of recognizing the signs of abuse and what to do if you suspect someone is abused.

In the evening Ms. Chen lead a lively discussion with a smaller group of caregivers, family , friends and community members about recognizing signs of elder abuse and what to do about it.

A brief Sit and Be Fit exercise class was lead by Sabine Cooperman, who teaches a weekly Sit and Be Fit class that is open to all seniors on Wednesdays from 10:30 to 11:30 at Evergreen Acres Seniors Centre.

Following a delicious lunch catered by Gateway Grill, Marian Anderberg from BC Association of Community Response Networks (Stopping Adult Abuse and Neglect … Together), explained the work of this organization.

Wells Gray Country Seniors Society is taking the lead to bring programs from BC CRN to Clearwater. Already Clearwater has 13 local community trainers available to give workshops to organizations that want to learn the skills to recognize the various forms of abuse and know what to about do about it.

Participants received a tote bag containing amongst other things, information about how to create a safety plan and a fridge magnet with community resources numbers.

It was noted that the seniors symposium happened on the same day as the anti-bullying Pink Shirt Day in the schools. Moose-hide patches were seen representing the Moose Hide campaign, which encourages men to stop violence against women.

The event ended with Evelyn Warner, Elsie Sunderman and Sid Thomas winning door prizes. Information from the symposium presenters can be found in the Seniors Room at Dutch Lake Community Centre. You can always call the seniors coordinator at 250-674-8185 for news and information.

WGCSS appreciates all those who participated in making this event such a success, including presenters Lin Chen and Marian Anderberg plus the community members who set up booths and shared information.

CSS Grad Class helped by setting up, greeting and cleaning up.

Gateway Grill catered a delectable lunch. Seniors coordinator Lynne Frizzle, and Victim Services coordinator Melody Romeo organized this event.

This symposium was made possible with a grant from the Government of Canada’s New Horizons For Seniors program.

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Di Traubman (l) and Marieke Alferink check out the items on display at the Pharmasave booth during the seniors forum.