Have you heard or used 211?

The last 29 days of the month are the toughest!

Through 2-1-1 people connect to a wide range of services from disaster relief to utility assistance, senior citizen programs, emergency food, job counselling, youth programs and much more.  It is the one-stop-shop for services available in many communities.  

In the United States 2-1-1 was designated for nationwide use as an information and referral phone line by the Federal Communications Commission in 2000. 2-1-1 is designed to serve three major objectives: 

1. Connect people in need to health and human service assistance available through government programs and private nonprofit organizations in their communities; 

2. Provide assistance to communities in time of disaster, allowing 9-1-1 to work primarily with first responders; and 

3. Connect volunteers and donors with organizations who can leverage these resources to meet the needs of the community.  

If you live in BC you may not have heard of bc211 or the Red Book Directory, but if you need services or information they are a great resource. Other provinces Alberta, Quebec and Ontario, as well as the United Way of Pennsylvania (PA 211), have a 211 line. To check if you have such a service in your area do a google search for 211. If your area doesn't have this type of resource you should consider advocating for the creation of such a service. 

bc211.ca  is a searchable online directory of community, government, and social services in BC the directory covers all of BC.

Bc211 is a non-profit information and referral organization that has been working since 1953 to connect people with the help they need.

Where does the resource information come from?
The resource information on bc211.ca is collected directly from the organizations listed on the site  Here are some of their help lines, that anyone in BC can call:

211 – 2-1-1

211 is a confidential, multilingual telephone and texting service available in Metro Vancouver, Fraser Valley, Squamish-Lillooet and Sunshine Coast Regional Districts. 211 provides free information and referral to a full range of community, social, and government services, and operates twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

VictimLink BC – 1-800-563-0808

VictimLink BC is a toll-free, confidential, multilingual telephone service available across BC and Yukon 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-563-0808. It provides information and referral services to all victims of crime and immediate crisis support to victims of family and sexual violence, including victims of human trafficking exploited for labour or sexual services.   www.victimlinkbc.ca

Problem Gambling Help Line – 1-888-795-6111

The Province’s Responsible Gambling Strategy exists to help reduce or prevent the harmful impacts of excessive or uncontrolled gambling. The mandate of the Strategy includes providing free support and treatment services and promoting responsible gambling practices through education and policy development. The BC Responsible Gambling Strategy involves the Province, through the Gaming Policy & Enforcement Branch and the BC Responsible & Problem Gambling Program, and the BC Lottery Corporation. www.bcresponsiblegambling.ca

Youth Against Violence Line – 1-800-680-4264

The Youth Against Violence Line is a safe, confidential and anonymous way for young people across BC to report crime or violent incidents, or to talk through any type of problem with a supportive person. We offer non-judgmental support in many languages and will provide you with options, information and referrals to services that can help. Parents, teachers, caregivers, service providers and others can also call for information about youth-related resources. www.youthagainstviolenceline.com

The Alcohol & Drug Information and Referral Service

Lower Mainland: 604-660-9382

BC: 1-800-663-1441

Worried about drug and alcohol use? Whether it’s for yourself or someone you care about, you can call for information, options and support. They can refer you to a full range of counselling and treatment services across BC. Services on the Alcohol and Drug Line are confidential, multilingual, free, and available 24/7.

The Shelter and Street Help Line – 2-1-1

The Shelter and Street Help Line is designed to assist people who are affected by homelessness in the Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley regional districts, as well as in Greater Victoria. They understand that a wide range of circumstances can result in homelessness so we provide information on a variety of programs and services. The Shelter and Street Help Line calls Lower Mainland and Victoria shelters twice per day and publishes the Shelter List, which details available shelter beds and mats for women, men, youth and families. The Shelter List is updated twice per day at around 11:30 AM, and around 7:30 PM. Contact them to find available shelter beds and services in the Lower Mainland and Victoria: dial or text 2-1-1. 

Special people

Some people just have big hearts, and with this gift they're very often able to feel, offer, and show far more love than they receive from those around them. Which, at times, is a heavy load to bear. 

These are very special people, the caregivers, the friend that stands beside you, and the countless others who make our lives easier, with no thought to their own needs. These people may not think that they are appreciated, but they are, they are needed, loved and valued. On special days we show our love and gratitude to these people but why wait for a special day on the calendar. Make today their special day, just from you.

So today I'd like to remind them, and especially you, that the sun asks not that the moon and planets help brighten each day but relishes her role as a keeper of the light and a bringer of the dawn. Take the time to say thank you to that special person in your life that fills your life with goodness and love. Let them know how much you value them and their contributions to your life. Gratitude is never expected by these folks, but I bet if given, it would not be rejected and it would be valued. Life is good, show your gratitude.

Will you drive after 65?

Misunderstandings are always caused by the inability of appreciating one another's point of view. Boomers still drive after age 65, according to Stats Canada 79% of men and 44% of women, use their cars as their main source of transportation. Public Transportation is not an option for our age group.

A minority of us use a primary means of transportation other than a car (public transit, walking, accessible transit or taxi). According to a report by Called Profile of Seniors’ Transportation Habits by Martin Turcotte published in 2012 by Stats Canada, among men aged 65 to 74, 84% got around mainly by driving their car, and 9% by being a passenger in a car That left 4% using public transit, 3% walking or bicycling, and the rest using accessible transit or taxis.

As people get older, travelling as a passenger in a private vehicle becomes their main form of transportation; this is the case for about one-half of seniors aged 85 and over (with or without a licence). This was even more common among women of this age group, as 52% travelled primarily as passengers and had no licence while another 7% had a licence but travelled mainly as passengers.

Seniors do not use public transit more often as their main form of transportation as they get older. Nor does occasional use increase with age. Part of the decline in the use of public transit with age is due to the fact that on average, seniors go out less often than we used to go out.

Public transportation, unless you live in Metro Vancouver is relatively infrequent in low residential density neighbourhoods. In those neighbourhoods, public transit, if any, is designed primarily to meet the needs of workers (rush-hour service to key destinations such as the downtown core or main work areas).

 In addition, being unable to drive may mean being unable to use regular public transit. Some seniors with reduced mobility could use accessible transit services, but these are not available in every city or every neighbourhood.

Most people probably consider accessible transit and taxis as options of last resort, and people who depend on such forms of transportation may have reduced mobility. On the other hand, accessible transit and taxis may be very important to people who cannot drive and whose relatives do not live nearby or are not always available.

The research shows that before the age of 85, a very small minority of seniors use either of these types of transportation. The picture is different for people aged 85 and over, especially women: 9% of them used accessible transit or taxis as their primary means of transportation.

Outside census metropolitan areas, alternatives to the car are virtually non-existent as primary means of travel. Only 1% of seniors living outside census metropolitan report that their primary form of transportation was accessible transit or taxis, compared with 3% in a major metro area of Canada.

This inability to get around on one’s own makes it difficult to age at home, which is an idea supported by all levels of government, at least in theory. There is growing acceptance of the idea that leading an active life and participating in social activities promotes good health and successful ageing. Consequently, governments are encouraging such behaviours and activities, and are also developing policies to eliminate barriers to participation.

Seniors whose main form of transportation was driving their car were the most likely to have taken part in a social activity during the previous week (73%), with passengers who had a driver’s licence close behind (69%). Public transit users and seniors who walked were a little less likely to participate (61% and 66% respectively). People who were mainly passengers and did not have a licence (53%) and people who used accessible transit or taxis (46%) had the lowest participation rates.

Women, particularly those 85 and over, were much more likely to be in the last two groups. When all other factors affecting social participation were kept constant (age, health status, sex, income level, household status, mental health, type of place of residence), the conclusion was the same: seniors who travelled mostly by driving their car were more likely to participate than those who used any other form of transportation (except passengers with a licence, who were not significantly different from driver.

A majority of seniors live in areas where the car is the primary form of transportation. So, it is not surprising to find that the majority of seniors, even those of more advanced ages, travel mostly by car. I suspect that the majority of us have no intention of moving and plan to remain where we live as long as possible. The number and proportion of seniors who drive can, therefore, be expected to increase over the coming years. 

In 2009, three-quarters of all seniors had a driver’s licence. For men, being an older senior is not an obstacle to driving. In the 85-and over age group, 67% of men and 26% of women had a licence. This large gap between men and women aged 85 and over is expected to diminish in the future since almost as many women as men aged 55 to 64 had a driver’s licence.

If all levels of government are serious about helping seniors age in place, then they have to start looking at ways to improve public transit for seniors.

What do you do everyday in retirement?

Ronnie over at As Time Goes By created a post where she talked about what do people who are retired do on a daily basis. It was an interesting read and got me thinking about what I do on a daily basis.

First here is the list that Ronnie took from an article called 12 ways Retirees spend their time, which was published in 2016 by USN and written by Emily Brandon. Emily put the list in order of average duration per day (I have added the hours per week):

Sleep (10 to11 hours per day) (70 hours in a week)
Watching TV (4 hours a day) (28 hours in a week)
Home maintenance (2.5 hours a day) (17.5 hours a week)
Part-time work (1.5 hours a day) (10.5 hours a week)
Preparing/eating meals (1.5 hours a day) (10.5 hours a week)
Shopping (1 hour a day) (7 hours a week)
Volunteering (30 minutes a day) (3.5 hours a week)
Reading (1 hour a day) (7 hours a week)
Surfing the web (30 minutes a day) (3.5 hours a week)

Socializing (30 minutes a day) (3.5 hours a week)

Relaxing (45 minutes a day) 5.25 hours a week)
Exercising (15 minutes a day) (1.75 hours a week)

The reality is that the above is an estimate of activities and times based on what a person would do averaged over a week, which I included in the list above.

So, I took a look at my activities for the week and I do sleep but only between 8 and 9 hours asleep or (72 hours in a week). I watched TV for about 30 hours for the week, I did about 2 hours of home maintenance unless you count housework, which would add about 7 more hours to the list. Preparing, eating and cleaning up after meals were about 11 hours. My volunteer time took about 9 hours. This included preparing for the workshops, driving to the workshop, giving the workshop, and reporting on the workshop. I read for about 9 hours this week, although some weeks I don’t read at all. I spent about 11 hours Surfing the web. I spent 6 hours socializing. My wife told me that I spend about 8 hours relaxing and I went shopping for 3 hours. This left me with 0 hours to exercise this week.  Time flies when you are having fun, but it was an interesting experiment to track (although) not in great detail, how time is spent.

I know activity levels differ depending on health and although there is nothing wrong with the above list, I don't see hobbies, passions, curiosity, sports, travel, learning etc. on it. I think I said at one point when I retire, I will be able to do all this stuff because I don’t have time now. Being retired now means that I have to make time for all the stuff I didn't have time for when we were working, but I am finding it harder and harder to find the time because I am so busy. What about you, are you so busy in retirement that you are finding it difficult to do the things you always wanted to complete or try?