December 23, 1997 - CEC announces project to help seniors lead healthy lives

The Canadian Ethnocultural Council (CEC) is pleased to announce its project "Healthy Aging in Caring Communities: A Cross Cultural Approach".

Ethnocultural minorities and Aboriginal people often experience helplessness and powerlessness when it comes to dealing with health issues because of linguistic and cultural barriers and their minority status in society. Moreover, few health and social service professionals are trained to work effectively with them.

The overall goal of this project is to conduct training and information sessions for health workers and community leaders to enhance their ability to offer culturally appropriate assistance and support to Canadian seniors of ethnocultural minority and aboriginal origins.

Training and information sessions will be held in Vancouver (Feb. 21 & 22), Saskatoon (Feb. 28 & Mar. 1) Winnipeg (Mar. 7 & 8), St. John's (Mar. 14 & 15), and Toronto (Mar. 21 & 22).

This project is built on the partnership between the National Indian & Inuit Community Health Representatives Organizations and the CEC and on the cross-cultural training model established in their earlier project - "Our Nations' Elders Speak".

"We want seniors in our communities to stay independent for as long as possible and to lead happy and fulfilling lives," said Emmanuel Dick, President of the CEC. This project is important because we will be able to train health workers and community leaders in providing ongoing support to Canadians as they age, and in coping with health issues that are exacerbated by factors related to cultural differences," said Mr. Dick.

Funding for this project was received from the Population Health Fund, Health Canada.

The CEC is a coalition of 33 national ethnocultural organizations representing a cross-section of ethnocultural groups across Canada. The CEC helps its member organizations work together for the purpose of furthering the multicultural reality of Canada. Since its inception in 1980, the CEC has demonstrated an ongoing interest and involvement in initiatives designed to increase accessibility to health and social services for ethnocultural minorities, with an emphasis on those issues of concern to seniors and women