​
MISSION STATEMENT:


SPCS is a non-profit, volunteer based Seniors’ Health Care advocacy group located in the Greater Trail, West Kootenay, British Columbia, Canada. 

Our mission is to advocate and pursue options for adequate, affordable, accessible and safe continuing care resources and services for seniors within their immediate communities. We will accomplish this by advocating, communicating, disseminating information and educating.
​
BC Senior's Advocate's - Isabel McKenzie
"BC Home Support Services - We Must Do Better"

The review includes survey responses from 6,000 seniors receiving Home Support Services.  
Canada Mortgage and Housing is offering a $500 rebate for low income renters (less than $20,000 for individuals, $30,000 for families). 
** The application must be done by March 31, 2023.
                                         Society for Protection and Care of Seniors
                                                           Activities in 2021
 
Covid 19 continued to affect our group - we were unable to have any General Meetings for our membership, although we did stay in touch through phone calls, emails and even held some executive meetings following Covid precautions.    Despite this, members of our group stayed active and provided all advocacy services that we could manage.
These included:
  • Advocacy
    • Provided assistance and information to Laburnum Manor residents during elevator failure/repair
    • Provided assistance with Canada Pension Disability Pension and Canada Disability Tax Benefits
    • Provide assistance with home care/support and placement
    • Assistance with information for Palliative Care Visits
  • Grief Support through Greater Trail Hospice Society – held in person when required, with Covid precautions in place.  There are child & adult programs.
  • Sharing information and updates through emails and our website.
  • Providing details regarding Patient Quality Care Complaints/Compliments and assistance in submitting reports.
  • Provided updates on Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital construction.  In 2021 and currently, engaged in discussing follow-up changes to the area.   
  • 2 of our members are Volunteer Navigators with the Greater Trail Hospice Volunteer Nav Care program which provides guidance and support to individuals with complex chronic conditions, navigate community resources and appropriate support services and agencies as they face challenges in the progression of their medical conditions and all other accompanying issues related to spiritual, emotional, financial and psychosocial needs.
  • One of our members is a Volunteer Facilitator for Seniors Health and Wellness Institute (Cosco) workshops – presented through Zoom.  In person presentations began again in early winter.
  • Two representatives have joined the Patient Family Centered Care (PFCC) committee spearheaded by Ruth Kohut, Director of KBRH
Our website is:  spcstrail@weebly.com
If you are in need of help or information, contact can be made by emailing spcstrail@yahoo.ca or reaching out to any of the executive board.

 AMAZON ADVICE  - AVOID SCAMS


Stay safe from scammers this holiday season by getting to know their most common scams:
  • Order confirmation scams. These are unexpected calls/texts/emails that often refer to an unauthorized purchase and ask you to act urgently to confirm or cancel the purchase. These scammers try to convince you to provide payment or bank account information, install software to your computer/device, or purchase gift cards.
Remember, if you received correspondence regarding an order you weren't expecting, you can verify orders by logging into your Amazon account. Only legitimate purchases will appear in your order history - and Customer Service is available 24/7 to assist.
  • Tech support scams. Scammers create fake websites claiming to provide tech support for your devices and Amazon services. Customers who land on these pages are lured to contact the scammer and fall prey to their schemes.
Remember, go directly to the help section of our website when seeking help with Amazon devices or services. If you do use a search engine, use caution. Legitimate Amazon websites contain "amazon.ca" such as "help.amazon.ca".
Here are some important tips so that you can identify scams and keep your account and information safe:
  1. Trust Amazon-owned channels. Always go through the Amazon mobile app or website when seeking customer service, tech support, or when looking to make changes to your account.
  2. Be wary of false urgency. Scammers may try to create a sense of urgency to persuade you to do what they're asking. Be wary any time someone tries to convince you that you must act now.
  3. Never pay over the phone. Amazon will never ask you to provide payment information, including gift cards (or “verification cards”, as some scammers call them) for products or services over the phone.
If you receive correspondence you think may not be from Amazon, please report it to us. For more information on how to stay safe online, visit Security & Privacy on the Amazon Customer Service page.
Additional resources: Sincerely,
Amazon
                 BC Government Health Records Site - Health Gateway

1.  The Health Gateway is a provincial service which provides British Columbians with access to information, regardless of where they received care or services.  My Health Portal and other regional portals provide access to information within the regional systems. We are collaborating with our health sector partners to ensure we are providing complementary services.

2.  The Health Gateway is updated weekly with new features and information. We prioritize our enhancements based on your feedback, and we encourage you to provide suggestions by e-mailing HealthGateway@gov.bc.ca.
 
3.  For people managing others' healthcare and needing access to records:  Currently, only parents or guardians of children 11 years or younger can access their children’s COVID-19 test results. We are working to enable family and caregiver access in the future.

COVID Information and Updates

BC Government Covid Information Web Site                            Reviewed Oct 12/21    
B.C.'s response to COVID-19 - Province of British Columbia (gov.bc.ca)
SOMETHING NEW - A PETITION
Started by:  the Confederation of Canadian Unions

Surveys, Surveys, Surveys


Here are some are opportunities to share your knowledge and experience
​ – be sure to let your voice be heard! Please note: if we are able to access results, we will post them on this site.


1. Kootenay Boundary Division of Family Practice - Surveys:
      KB is conducting a survey regarding Virtual (phone or computer appointments).        Posted June 20/20
      This survey is still open and receiving data as of March 4, 2023.
        surveys.divisionsbc.ca/Kootenay-Boundary-Virtual-Health-Patient-Survey-2020.aspx

2.  The Centre for Rural Health Research (CRHR) at the University of British Columbia is gathering information on out-of-pocket costs for rural patients (and their families) when they have surgeries in and outside of their community.
   ** Looks like the data collected by this survey paid off!  In the recent budget annoucement, we heard the province would be funding medical travel expenses.  Check for further update!                   Mar 4, 2023