Queens County to have full-time senior safety co-ordinator

Shelley Walker is Queens County’s senior safety co-ordinator. (Rick Conrad)

UPDATED WED., NOV. 13, 12:27 P.M.

Queens County will be getting a full-time senior safety co-ordinator.

In their first meeting since the Oct. 19 election, Region of Queens councillors voted Tuesday to fund five-day-a-week senior safety services in Queens.

Representatives of Queens Care Society asked council in August to consider making the senior safety co-ordinator a full-time employee of the region.

In their August presentation to council, representatives from the non-profit society said they couldn’t afford to make the job full time. The group receives a $25,000 grant from the Nova Scotia government, as well as $5,000 from the Region of Queens. 

Shelley Walker, the current co-ordinator, works three days a week. But advocates say the job should be full time because Walker can help only a fraction of the seniors in need.

The co-ordinator helps promote senior health, safety and independence, working with older residents to help them stay in their own homes. 

Councillors voted Tuesday to provide up to $35,000 in funding to Lunenburg County Home Support to make the job full time until Oct. 31, 2025.

Coun. Maddie Charlton said she expects Queens Care Society to return to council before then to seek longer-term funding.

“I think that they would like an opportunity to see just how it fares out,” Charlton told council.

“It’s my understanding that the group is happy with this for now for the year. … I’m happy to support this now. They do need the increased funding to make sure we have that capacity.”

Society chairman Grant Webber told councillors in August that as a part-timer, Walker can help only 7.5 per cent of the 3,300 Queens County residents over 65.

In August, he asked the region to create a full-time senior safety position at a salary of $53,000 plus benefits, travel expenses and office space. 

Webber told QCCR on Wednesday that he’s pleased the municipality OKed the funding.

“I think it’s a wonderful decision. We’ve got some things to work out and get an agreement with the municipality,” he said.

“We’re very pleased and we’re hoping that the municipality will take over full funding of the senior safety program, because with the funding from the municipality and the (provincial) grant, we’ll have a senior safety co-ordinator here for five days a week.”

He said other Nova Scotia municipalities have full-time co-ordinators and he hopes Queens will follow suit.

In an October staff report, councillors were told that historically, the co-ordinator focused on senior safety three days a week. For the rest of the week, she worked as a supervisor for Queens Home Support.

Financial difficulties forced Queens Home Support to close earlier this year. Lunenburg County Home Support now looks after those services in Queens. 

According to the October staff report, the year-long funding will give the Region of Queens and the Lunenburg group time to assess the service. 

On Tuesday, Queens CAO Cody Joudry assured councillors and the public that the co-ordinator will still be based in Queens County.

“There’s never been any discussion whatsoever about the idea that that position would be based in Lunenburg.”

In response to a question from Coun. Stewart Jenkins, Joudry said the region hasn’t yet analyzed how much it would cost to make the co-ordinator a municipal employee.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

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Region of Queens considers full-time senior safety co-ordinator

Shelley Walker is Queens County’s senior safety co-ordinator. (Rick Conrad)

Queens County could be getting a full-time seniors’ advocate by the end of the year.

At a recent regional council meeting, councillors voted to ask for a staff report on making the senior safety co-ordinator a full-time position with the Region of Queens.

Right now, that job is overseen by the non-profit Queens Care Society.

It is funded with a $25,000 grant from the Nova Scotia government, which is enough for three days a week. The society also receives $5,000 from the Region of Queens. The Queens District RCMP gives in-kind supports such as a cell phone and office space.

The society says it doesn’t have enough money to turn it into a full-time position. Shelley Walker is the current senior safety co-ordinator. There has been a part-time co-ordinator in the region since it was created more than 15 years ago.

The co-ordinator helps promote senior health, safety and independence, working with older residents to help them stay in their own homes. The co-ordinator helps with medical referrals, transportation, food insecurity and other concerns of seniors living on their own.

Representatives from the Queens Care Society appealed to councillors last week to make it a full-time position with the region.

Grant Webber, chairman of the society, told councillors that there’s great demand for the free service. But the current part-time position can help only about 7.5 per cent, or 250, of the 3,300 Queens County residents over 65.

He said other senior safety co-ordinators around the province are full time, supported by the province, municipalities or non-profit groups.

Webber asked that the region hire the co-ordinator on a full-time basis, covering benefits and expenses and providing office space.

“A part-time position is not enough to address the assistance and does not enable the co-ordinator to be proactive with education and check-in calls. All other co-ordinators in Nova Scotia are full time and either employed by the municipality or through foundations.

“We are hoping that the Region of Queens can also become the employer and provide the senior safety co-ordinator with the stability required to support seniors here in Queens County.”

Al Doucet, a member of the Queens Care Society, said Walker does a commendable job now for seniors in the region. He said she could do so much more as a full-time employee of the region.

“I’ve watched what Shelley does for this community,” he told councillors. “There’s all kinds of people that would do this, but I can tell you that Shelley does beyond what is needed.” 

Councillors seemed receptive to the idea of bringing the position under the municipality’s umbrella.

Mayor Darlene Norman said the part-time position is funded until the end of the year, but that there is some uncertainty around whether it would continue after that.

Norman said the details would have to be worked out.

“I believe it is necessary that there be more investigation to determine who such a staffer would report to, is there a requirement to do a job posting, … salary range, things such as cars, all those things we would have to know to responsibly vote on those things.”

District 3 Coun. Maddie Charlton said she wanted to make sure that councillors got a staff report in time to make a decision about the position before the end of the year.

“I want to make sure that that position is protected and it’s not a bunch of frantic, going around trying to figure out last-minute, so I think we need some clear timing.”

Norman made a motion for staff to report by council’s first meeting in October on the municipality taking over responsibility for the senior safety program.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

Hundreds seek info at seniors expo in Liverpool

Shelley Walker is Queens County’s senior safety co-ordinator. (Rick Conrad)

Almost 200 people turned out on Thursday at the Best Western Plus in Liverpool for the 2024 Senior Safety Spring Expo and Fair.

It featured almost 40 exhibitors with information about things such as housing, health care and senior safety as well as products and services available for older adults.

QCCR spoke to organizer Shelley Walker, the senior safety co-ordinator for Queens, and to one of the exhibitors, Janet Carver, the manager of community programs in palliative care for western Nova Scotia.

You can follow the Queens County Seniors Safety Association on Facebook.

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