"Culturally Appropriate Best Practices for Healthy Aging"

Ottawa, Oct. 27, 2000 … The Canadian Ethnocultural Council (CEC) has received funding from the Population Health Fund, Health Canada for a three-year project to develop a model on ethnocultural best practices for healthy aging and to disseminate the information through regional workshops and creation of an Online Ethnocultural Healthy Aging Network.

This national project is targeted at health care agencies, health care providers and older adults from ethnocultural communities.

The goals of the project are to increase awareness and educate health care providers and ethnocultural older adults on the best cultural practices for healthy aging with regard to disease prevention and management, and promotion of good mental health.

The CEC will continue to build on the contacts, networks and partnerships established during previous initiatives. The main project partners include: United Chinese Community Enrichment Service Society, Vancouver, Multicultural Association of Nova Scotia, Halifax, Hellenic Home for the Aged, Toronto, Ukrainian Canadian Congress-Saskatchewan Provincial Council, Saskatoon, and the National Council of Barbadian Associations in Canada.

"With a steadily growing, culturally diverse senior population in Canada, a knowledge and understanding of the best practices for healthy aging and cross-cultural intervention models will help health care agencies and health care providers to deliver culturally appropriate care to all groups in Canadian society" says Art Hagopian, President, CEC.