The United Way Better at Home Advisory Committee held its inaugural meeting on June 18th to advise on an innovative program for non-medical home support services for seniors.

The BC Government awarded UWLM $15 million last spring to expand its Community Action for Seniors Independence (CASI) program to communities across the province. Now known as Better at Home, the program’s launch followed advocacy efforts by United Way to focus attention on seniors’ independence and the benefits of seniors living longer in their own homes.

The Better at Home Advisory Committee, chaired by Dr Patricia Baird, will meet twice a year. It will support the sustainability of the program beyond the current three-year funding horizon and oversee the integration of best practices, with a particular focus on seniors who are vulnerable and at risk.

The members of the United Way Better at Home Advisory Committee are:

Dr Patricia Baird (chair)
Patricia Baird has a history with the development of the Better at Home program dating back to when she served as Chair of the Premier’s Council on Aging and Seniors’ Issues in 2006, and she was the key influencer who persuaded the government to partner with UWLM on creating the CASI program. Dr. Baird serves on UWLM’s Board of Directors and is a member of the Community Investment and Relations Committee (CIRC).

Tung Chan
Tung Chan is the vice chair of the Board of Trustees of the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21. He is also a member of the Board of the Vancouver Foundation and the Rick Hansen Institute, and served at CEO of S.U.C.C.E.S.S ., for a number of years.

Dr. Neena Chappell
Neena Chappell holds a Canada Research Chair in Social Gerontology and is a Professor of Sociology at the University of Victoria. Dr. Chappell was founding Director of the Centre on Aging at the University of Manitoba and first Director of the Centre on Aging at the University of Victoria.

Marcy Cohen
Marcy Cohen is an adjunct faculty member at Simon Fraser University and teaches on health system reform. She recently retired from the Hospital Employees Union where she worked as the research and policy director for 15 years, representing the union on many government and health authority policy committees.

Lynda Cranston
Lynda Cranston is President and CEO of the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA), one of six health authorities in the province. PHSA is responsible for “one of a kind” highly specialized health services for the citizens of British Columbia.

Dr. Elsie Gerdes
Elsie Gerdes is a member of the Seniors’ Healthy Living Advisory Network. A Past-President of the BC Old Age Pensioners Organization (BCOAPO) with an extensive career in public health, she also served as a member of the Premier’s Council on Aging and Seniors Issues.

Mohinder Grewal
Mohinder Grewal has served with a number of organizations, including the National Association of Canadians of Origins in India, the Canadian Ethno-cultural Council and the Sikh Professional Association of Canada. He has also served two three-year terms on the British Columbia Seniors Advisory Council, and advises the media on diversity.

Tim Rowe
Tim Rowe recently retired from the Northern Health Authority where he was the Executive Lead for the Elder Program and Council and for Home and Community Care. Mr. Rowe has been employed in health care organizations since 1975. During his more than two decades in B.C., he has seen the introduction of regionalization and significant progress on integration of the delivery of health services.