Ontario Gerontology Association is a group that helps older people lead a better life. We advocate the most vulnerable elderly must be a prime concern. We share wonderful ideas here and assist with each other. Therefore, more and more people join us.
OLDER ADULTS MENTORING NEWCOMERS FOR WORKPLACE SUCCESS
Newcomers are vitally important for filling gaps in our workforce created by an aging population.
But newcomers often experience delays in finding work matched to their skills and this creates difficulties for them and their families. And it generates costs for the labor market and the economy.
As a modest effort to help remedy this difficulty, the OGA in partnership with the Retired Teachers of Ontario, Older Adult Centres Association of Ontario, and United Senior Citizens of Ontario and a few settlement organizations, are providing older adults with relevant work experience to mentor newcomers. The weekly mentoring will focus on areas required by the newcomer whether workplace language skills, specific professional/occupational skills or understanding of workplace culture and living style.
This modest-sized project is being carried out with support from the New Horizons for Seniors Program of the Federal Government. Further information will be posted as the project proceeds.
ADVOCATING ON BEHALF OF SENIORS
The OGA, as part of its mission, works towards informing the public and the political parties of the important needs of older people. To help all parties and all candidates in the October election understand the priorities of older people, the OGA joined with 9 other seniors organizations, which together represent more than a million seniors, to develop, on a consensus basis, a set of priorities.
In meetings with the Political Parties and in our Priorities paper developed with our partners, the OGA has proposed a number of ideas to improve the quality of life of older people. These ideas are important to all Ontarians; because of the important contributions, seniors make every day in Ontario.
We are pleased that those ideas are getting picked up as part of the political debates leading up to the next election. It is important for Ontario to have an Active Aging Strategy and initiatives to help older people remain at home. We hope that all of the political parties will endorse our proposals, which will make Ontario the best place to grow older.
Thoughts on Positive Aging
“you have to stay interested in things. There are so many things I want to know more about that I’ll never live long enough to do. But its something to reach for. I have friends …they say, oh, I don’t care about that; I’m too old for that” They make old age a bete noire, this beast that hangs over their heads. Instead of saying “Hey, let’s go”.
Betty White, Actress, Age 89
Globe & Mail, May 21, 2019