PAST PROJECTS
DEMENTIA VENTURES
September 2023 - March 2025
Additional PHAC funding allows Dementia Ventures projects to deepen their impact. Initiatives elsewhere in BC will involve people living with dementia and community members to create new engagement programs, and result in publication of an Action Guide that offers insights for communities building capacity for greater social citizenship by people experiencing dementia.
DEMENTIA VENTURES - BUILDING CAPACITY PROJECT
September 2019 - March 2023
Building Capacity for Meaningful Participation by People Living with Dementia, an initiative funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), aimed to enable people with dementia to participate in community life as full social citizens. The project was a partnership between researchers at the University of British Columbia and Lakehead University, and their community partners: members of the Westside Seniors Hub in Vancouver and the Northwest Dementia Working Group in Thunder Bay, a coalition of people with lived experience, care partners, and researchers.
In Vancouver, where the initiative is known as Dementia Ventures, six Hub Partners implemented programs that created opportunities for active involvement of people with dementia, such as a virtual memory café, a buddy program, outdoor activities, and discussions among faith-based congregations. Read more about Dementia Ventures here and Hub Partners’ stories here.
CYCLING WITHOUT AGE EVENT
September 28, 2019
Cycling Without Age Vancouver, in association with Kitsilano Neighbourhood House and the Westside Seniors Hub, are hosting safe and scenic trishaw rides along the Arbutus Greenway on September 28th from 10:00am to 2:00pm. Trishaws are three-wheeled cycles where you sit in the front and experienced pilots pedal you from behind. Our mission is to break the elderly free from social isolation. Make them smile. Make new memories. And let them be part of society again and thereby renew their appetite for life itself. We give them the right to wind in their hair. Cycling Without Age is based on generosity and kindness.
HUbBYTES NEWSLETTERS
July, September, November 2019 and re-launched December 2021 - present
In 2019 Hub Council began compiling resources of potential value to Hub Partner Organizations that we encountered as we attended events and made community contacts. The MailChimp illustrated newsletters are now sent out quarterly to Hub Partners and community members who sign up. Read current and past editions and sign up here.
DEMENTIA PROJECT - HUB FIRST STEPS TOGETHER
October-November 2018
Hub Council convened a working group of representatives from Partner Organizations to discuss and decide upon actions to be taken after a presentation about Alzheimer cafés and other dementia-friendly initiatives. At two meetings, some Guiding Principles were drafted.
2017-2018 WALK AND BE SEEN CAMPAIGN
The 2017-2018 Vancouver Walk and Be Seen (WBS) campaign was a great success! The finale held in March included presentations by Safety Ambassadors from 17 organizations from Metro Vancouver. Seniors were involved in organizing neighbourhood Walk and Be Seen projects. For those who attended the finale, there was no doubt that many were Proud to be Seniors and Proud to be Seen-iors! During the campaign, volunteer Ambassadors spoke to seniors in their communities about pedestrian safety and the benefits of increasing their visibility in low-light conditions by wearing reflective or light-emitting gear. The comments, stories and survey results collected in this campaign clearly showed grassroots support for increased pedestrian visibility.
FORUM ON SENIORS HOUSING ON THE WESTSIDE OF VANCOUVER
July 2017
The Westside Seniors Hub, through the Jewish Family Services Agency, received a grant from Vancouver Coastal Health to research seniors housing on the Westside of Vancouver. A researcher interviewed more than forty stakeholders, from housing experts to seniors with housing issues. The report Seniors Housing on the Westside of Vancouver is based on these interviews.
The Hub then organized a half-day Housing Forum on April 26, 2017 to further explore housing issues with those interviewed and important stakeholders. The Forum included panel presentations on housing innovation by leaders from Kitsilano Neighbourhood House, the United Way of the Lower Mainland, LaneFab and Calling Ministries, and 36 participants joined two consecutive groups to explore key issues and formulate recommendations.
2016-2017 WALK AND BE SEEN PILOT PROJECT
Walk and Be Seen (WBS) was a volunteer pilot project on the Westside of Vancouver involving senior pedestrians. It was designed to promote walking during low-light conditions while wearing reflective apparel in response to statistics that show senior pedestrians experiencing the highest number of fatalities from collisions in Vancouver. The project registered 132 participants who agreed to wear free reflective gear (cloth sash or LED slapband), tally walks of any length, and provide feedback. Upon completion, 79 registrants completed a survey and provided comments. An Action Mini-Grant (VGH Trauma Services, Vancouver Coastal Health) provided initial funding with Kitsilano Neighbourhood House, Mountain Equipment Coop, the Jewish Family Services Agency, and WalkMetroVan contributing additional funds and administrative support.
10th AVENUE HEALTH PRECINCT PLANNING UPDATES
May 2017
The City of Vancouver Transportation Department undertook a two-phase public consultation process in 2015-2016 regarding redesign proposals for the West 10th Avenue ‘Health Precinct’ (Cambie to Oak Streets). Seniors, persons with disabilities, and many stakeholders provided feedback on those proposals. The Hub noted a few significant design changes as a result of citizen input.