A new group in Innisfail will aim to support town’s senior population.
At a recent meeting, council authorized the formation of a seniors advisory group to look at how the town can improve quality of life for people 55 and over.
The group will be made of five volunteers and two appointed councillors, said Todd Becker, Innisfail chief administrative officer.
“Seniors make up over 30 per cent of our population,” said Becker. “We want to make sure we’re serving a good chunk of our population to the best of our ability.”
A seniors needs assessment was conducted in 2016. Becker said there has been some action on the results of the assessment, but created no defined action plan.
Certain areas were identified in the assessment as needing improvement; housing, community and health services, transportation, communication and inclusion.
The new seniors advisory group will evaluate the assessment and create an action plan, which will be proposed to council when complete.
Becker said the hope is group volunteer members are seniors.
“We’re looking for individuals with a sound knowledge of the community … and the different services provided in the community for seniors,” he said.
Becker said it’s too soon to tell when an action plan will be complete, but the town will be taking applications as soon as possible.
“The committee will get a draft together, however long that will take, and council will ultimately decide if it’s a good plan to move forward with,” he said.
An application form and additional information will be released soon, Becker said. Residents will be able to apply online by email or by brining an application into the town office.
sean.mcintosh@reddeeradvocate.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter