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economist suntribune social issues thursday oct 31 2002 demand for senior services rises the uman factor a series exploring the struggle to provide services for a growing population staff writer jeff mitchell looks at seniors needs in york region t wenty years ago nick giusti was too busy to think about aging i used to work 70 or 80 hours a week i was a workaholic mr giusti said i worked all my life i started working when i was nine but in 1985 multiple sclerosis ended mr giustis working life now at age 50 he is wheelchair- bound and depends on others for virtually everything chronologically mr giusti isnt old but he is part of a growing demographic in york region aging baby boomers who have a desire to continue living as independently as possible in many cases this can only be done with help from the outside senior care providers and plan ning professionals agree people need to continue living independ ently as they age making that a reality is among the challenges fac ing york region where the senior population is expected to quadru ple over the next 25 years from his woodbridge condo minium mr giusti offers prophet ic advice think about your old age you never do when youre young governments arent considering the future says deborah egan executive director of community home assistance to seniors chats a network of professional and volunteer caregivers serving seniors throughout york region upper tier levels of government are divesting themselves of respon sibility for seniors leaving the job to community organizations and local municipalities ms egan said i just think theres a lack of com prehensiveness in planning for the needs of the elderly she said i think there has to be a real recogni tion of the value and importance of supporting people in their own staff photojeff mitchell minnie cober 98 chats with carmela ciappa client care supervisor with community home assistance to seniors in mrs cobers schomberg apartment she looks forward to her daily visit from a chats worker homes agencies such as chats offer an array of programs from meals on wheels delivered by volunteers to more intensive care handled by professional caregivers staying healthy is the key to peo ple living on their own longer ms egan insists focusing on prevention instead oftreatment is the only way that will happen she said public thinking is still more focused on health care versus health ms egan said were chats concerned about keeping people well i think that if we dont do that the system will just explode minnie cober who turns 99 this sunday is an example of the chats philosophy she lives alone in an immaculately kept apartment in schomberg just a few kilometres from the pottageville house she called home for more than 50 years mrs cober looks forward each day to a 5 pm visit from a chats worker the workers official duty is to help mrs cober remove the sup port hose she wears but the work er often does light housekeeping and perhaps most important spends a few minutes chatting joy the worker is a lovely girl said mrs cober whose apartment is filled with pictures of children grandchildren and great grandchil dren we have a little chat a little visit i like her attitude were get ting along good together mrs cober said her sons and daughters help when theyre need ed but shes glad chats takes some pressure off her children theyve all got their own fami lies and grandchildren she said i cant expect them to be waiting on me all the time its a simple thing helping each day with support stockings but its an essential service for a senior who wishes to continue living inde pendently that work goes pretty much unrecognized in the system ms egan said she slides a photocopy of a newspaper article across the table seniors spending 7 hours a day alone the headline reads its that isolation falling off the radar screen as it were that can lead governments to conclude there is no crisis of care provision for seniors she said people living in their own homes are invisible ms egan said they dont show up in the system a and lso not statistically evi dent but very much a part of the continuum of care for the elderly and infirm are the caregivers the sons daughters husbands and wives whose lives are dedicated to their loved ones while their caregiving is a labour of love there are limits to their capacity to continue said carmela ciappa a client care supervisor with chats ms ciappa supervises personal support workers who visit hun dreds of homes in a vast portion of york region that stretches from steeles avenue north to davis drive and from the regions western boundary at hwy 50 to yonge street support workers often provide respite for caregivers allowing them time away from home to work shop run errands or just get away for a while without being consumed with worry over the sit uation at home usually its the plan to main tain independence and safety in the home ms ciappa said nick giustis wife maria admits the decision to entrust her hus bands care to chats support workers was difficult to reach caregivers wrestle with feelings of guilt and concern over the level of care their loved ones will receive she said ms giusti still sees to her hus bands most personal needs but the provision of several hours of care five days a week means ms giusti 41 can work outside the see seniors page 8 info box sourcesearch send your tips as hydro rates continue to climb were all looking for ways to reduce energy costs the best way is to institute energy saving measures in our homes were looking for your ideas on how to save energy contact staff writer roger varley with your tips call 905- 8813373 or email rvarleythe- liberalcom quotablequote game is faster or us it is essential to allow the kids to keep playing the game or in some cases its an introduction to soccer the game is faster kjdsliavejto learn how to reactfaster read staff writer jerome watts feature story on moving outdoor sports indoors in york region on page 17 f healthmatters clinics planned york region health services is hosting a series of flu clinics across the region to help resi dents stay healthy this winter the flu vaccine is adminis tered free of charge and clinics run through nov 9 for details on upcoming clin ics call 18003615653 surfincity find a pet wwwpetofthedaycom if youre thinking of adopting a new pet particularly an unusual species or are just interested in pets in general check out pet of the day the site features daily pet profiles submitted by surfers as well as lots of other information on pets in general theres a message board to correspond with other visitors and a search able archive of past pets you can also nominate your own pet to become the coveted pet of the day finehteme furnishings 4747 highway 7 east east of kennedy in markham tel 905 4775524 wwwalmiracom jr saiesalmjracom store hours mon wed 10 am 6 pm thufri 10 am 9 pm saturday 1 0 am 530 pm sunday closed chippendale recliner fall price if 839 special purchase limited time 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