A non-profit organization that advocates for seniors is encouraged with the announcement of a Seniors Minister.

President of the Saskatchewan Seniors Mechanism, Randy Dove, says they have been working on an action plan to present to the government for about 2 years, and one of the recommendations was for a Minister specifically for Seniors issues.

Because Warren Kaeding is also the Minister for Rural & Remote Health, Dove wants to ensure that the Ministry won’t just be looking at health issues.

For example, there are transportation issues, especially in rural Saskatchewan, where it can be difficult to get to and from services in larger centres.

Housing affordability is another issue for those who need to move into assisted living or long-term care, in particular for those in the middle-income bracket which can’t access financial assistance.

Dove says the SSM is supportive of the new Ministry, but the work isn’t done just by naming a Minister. There needs to be resources invested, so it can function.

Dove adds that there are 300-thousand older adults in Saskatchewan, which will continue to grow through to 2038 according to Statistics Canada, so that’s a lot of voters to consider for all political parties. He looks forward to working with the government as this Ministry evolves.

He believes there is a substantial opportunity to take advantage of the growing number of older adults, because they still contribute, participate, volunteer and have years of experience and expertise.

(CJWW)