Dear Editor,
I was quite impressed by the recent article in the Fitzhugh regarding the excellent services provided by Jasper’s Community and Family Services. I was amazed at the scope of services provided by the outreach workers.
There are programs for early childhood development, prenatal and preschool children, middle childhood, youth and teens, young adults, adults, people new to the community, people with low literacy skills or English as a second language, mental health issues, addictions, physical health or mobility issues, marital issues, raising a child with developmental delays or special needs, working in the service industry at low wages and so on.
Kathleen Waxer and her team must be commended for the excellent service and scope of services they provide. I was a little disappointed however if, as stated in the article, the programs are designed around “life stages”, why seniors were not specifically mentioned.
Jasper once had a seniors outreach worker, funded as a pilot project by the provincial government, but that has ended. Surely “old age “ can be considered a life stage, in fact the final life stage we will all go through, the next stage being a whole new experience for all of us. I am sure “Heaven”—assuming we make it—has programs for us.
Some people may consider us of no consequence as we are a dying breed, which is true, but there are still lots of us old crocks around and more to follow, coming up life’s conveyer belt that will have to be dealt with.
Possibly some of the seniors special needs are accommodated in one of the above services, but it would be comforting for seniors to have a dedicated outreach worker that we could go to or who could visit us for specific concerns seniors experience that is not covered in prenatal to adult programs.
Jack Templeton
Jasper, Alta.
