Okanagan-Similkameen Regional District will receive a $20 thouand grant for an Okanagan Falls Age-friendly Assessment.

Twenty-six communities throughout the province will receive 2014 Age-friendly BC grants to support a variety of projects designed to help older adults stay mobile, physically active and healthy, Health Minister Terry Lake announced today.

“This year communities were encouraged to consider projects that complemented three provincial priorities for seniors: elder abuse prevention, dementia care and non-medical home support,” said Lake. “Each approved project reflects the vision of an age-friendly British Columbia, in which older people are supported to live active, socially engaged and independent lives.

Specific examples of approved 2014 Age-friendly BC grants include: elder abuse and “train the trainer” workshops in Tumbler Ridge to raise awareness about how to recognize and respond to elder abuse; Pemberton’s “Seniors Interacting Through Art” program aimed at assisting seniors to communicate and express themselves more fully; and Invermere’s companion program designed to match seniors with volunteers who will assist with everyday living activities such as shovelling the sidewalk and grocery delivery.