What can you do with a day off?

July 1st. was Canada Day, but since it fell on
a Sunday, the holiday was observed on Monday,
July 2nd.

If you lived in Vancouver, BC you could attend
the 17th World Congress of Gerontology
as a volunteer manning the Parkinson booth for the BC
Parkinson's Disease Association and Parkinsons
Society Canada.

"Global Aging: Working Together in a Changing World."
17th World Congress of Gerontology
http://www.harbour.sfu.ca/iag/

I'm very lucky, we do live in Vancouver,  we walked the 12 blocks
to the convention centre, and spent a day volunteering.

We had handout material in English, French, and
Chinese.  (Vancouver has a very large Chinese community)

The attendees asked questions, exchanged business cards,
and were often surprised that there is a national Parkinson's
group and a strong local group.

As a volunteer I also got to roam a little and
check out the other exhibits.

Come with me on a cyber tour of the exhibition
hall....

These days everyone has a website.  Some also
had handout CD's.

Notably:
BC Govt. - This CD links to information about
the many policies, programs and services
available to seniors in the province of British
Columbia.

Govt. of Canada - The Dare to Age Well CD is a
collection of publications and photos
presenting the many aspects of healthy aging in
Canada.  It contains publications from Health
Canada, in particular from the Division of
Aging and Seniors, and others resulting from
Federal / Provincial / Territorial
collaboration.
All the material is in both English and French.
For more information contact:
Health Canada
Division of Aging and Seniors
(613) 952-7606
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/seniors-aines

Govt. of Canada - The End of Life Care For
Seniors CD contains three publications that
explore medical, cultural, spiritual and
ethical issues in end-of-life care.  The
intended audience includes health care and
social service providers, seniors, family
caregivers and the general public.
For more information contact:
Health Canada
Division of Aging and Seniors
Postal Locator 1908A1
Ottawa, Ontario   K1A 1B4
(613) 952-7606
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/seniors-aines

Canadian Standards Association - CSA
International
A CD - Making Standards Work For People and
Business
Coming Soon - B659-01 Design For Aging
This guideline provides the core principles,
guiding concepts and tools applicable to the
design and provision of products, services and
environments that are used by seniors and whose
abilities are affected by aging.
For more information e-mail [log in to unmask] or call
(416) 747-2670

Handout CD's have a lot of advantages for
travelling Convention attendees.  ie: not bulky
and heavy...

Many exhibitors prominently featured their
Websites:  (and web address was asked for many
times in our booth)

Parkinsons Society Canada
http://www.parkinson.ca/

Statistics Canada
http://www.statcan.ca/english/
http://www.statcan.ca/francais/

The Canadian Seniors Policies and Programs Database
http://www.sppd.gc.ca

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research CIHR/IRSC
http://www.cihr.ca or http://www.irsc.ca

The Canadian Network For The Prevention of Elder Abuse
http://www.inpea.net

CMHC Housing Standards (including adaptations
for people with disabilities)
http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca

The Dr. Tong Louie Living Laboratory
http://www.sfu.ca/livinglab

The Arthritis Society
http://www.artritis.ca

ProBed
http://www.pro-bed.com/

The Nimble Rocket Power Wheelchair
(I got to test drive - what a beauty!)
http://www.nimble-inc.com/

That's just a fraction...
(I avoided most o the commercial stuff)

So.... that's what you can do on a day off...
Volunteer / Learn / Share / Make a Difference

And when ya get home.... your daughter has e-mailed the
latest digital images of your youngest grand-daughter...

What a fabulous world we live in!

Cheers .... murray

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