The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

www.independentfreepress.com Town hosts free events See schedule Special pullout section SENIORS MONTH Knowing when to downsize your home Page 2 Halton Hills' Community Newspaper Page 7 Friday, June 8, 2007 8 Pages Halton aims to make region elder-friendly STEPHANIE THIESSEN Special to The IFP A lot of work still has to be done to make Halton an elderfriendly community that'll meet the needs of future seniors, according to a report, Quality of Life for Seniors in Halton Today and Tomorrow, approved in principle by regional council this spring. The Elder Services Advisory Committee (ESAC) prepared the report that's intended to be a guide for future planning and to help ensure the region is more elder-friendly. "(We're looking at) what we can do to improve the quality of life for seniors," said ESAC member Corinne Hodgson. The report states that from 2001 to 2015, Halton's seniors will increase from 45,000 to 82,000 and the number of seniors 85 years and older will almost triple from 4,000 to 11,000. It recommends many ways to improve the quality of life for Halton's seniors, such as: · Having governments and agencies work together to address the needs of low-income seniors. "Currently, one in every eight seniors in Halton lives below the low-income cutoff," Hodgson said. · Continuing to recruit physicians. As far as seniors' health is concerned, what are needed are more health-care professionals who understand and are interested in working with seniors, Hodgson said. · Ensuring the availability of affordable, accessible public transportation alternatives · Designing communities to be more elder-friendly, like by having larger and more legible signage, accessible buildings, etc... · Developing a continuum of housing options for seniors "We need to plan for a variety of housing options to enable seniors to remain independent," Carole Ward, ESAC chair, said, adding as seniors age they're more likely to rent, so affordable and available rental housing is crucial. Also needed are more spaces at long-term care homes and supportive housing facilities. · Promoting social engagement and reducing the risk of isolation through a variety of methods. Council directed staff to consider the document in its development of plans and policies ensuring that Halton becomes a more elder-friendly community. The motion also called for Regional Chairman Gary Carr to write to various provincial and federal ministers, along with the Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs) asking them to consider the report when creating policies and when funding and implementing programs. Finding their chi Under the instruction of Wilfried Rauser, Acton seniors take part in Tai Chi classes at the Acton Community Centre. Photo by Ted Brown At The Georgetown Hearing Clinic, we are committed to your individual hearing needs. Find out how we can help. Mountainview (9th Line) The GEORGETOWN HEARING CLINIC 905-873-6642 99 Sinclair Avenue, Suite 210 On-Site Audiologist · Repairs · Hearing Tests · Batteries · Home Service Available · Affordable Pricing · Custom Made Musician, Industrial & Swim Plugs · Hearing Aid Prescriptions and Fittings · ADP, WSIB, DVA Authorised Dispensary Gtwn Market Place Sinclair Steeles Entrance to Mall y Hw 7 Cory Soal Hearing Inst. Practitioner Milton Serving the community of Halton Hills and surrounding areas for over 12 years