New Brunswick has one of Canada’s oldest and aging populations and one researcher and her team have developed a guide to make navigating the various systems and resources easier.
Michelle Lafrance, a psychology professor at St. Thomas University in Fredericton, developed Aging in New Brunswick: A Users Guide.
It began when she and one of her colleagues in the gerontology department began discussing their research and came upon some overlap.
“The primary one was how hard it is for older adults and their caregivers to navigate the systems and departments, agencies and departments that are available,” she said.
Using research funding from the New Brunswick Innovation Foundation and some other partners, she was able to survey older adults and their caregivers.
“We compiled a list of the top ten areas that they struggled in and that ended up being the table of contents,” she said in an interview.
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The list included home support services, long-term care, financial issues, legal matters, accessibility and mobility issues, how to gather and keep your personal and medical information, end of life, driving safety while aging, health and medical services, and living with dementia.
The unique guide provides specific tips and gives detailed information for each section covered by the document.
She said the research team talked to everyone they could to make sure the guide encompassed everything someone might need to age through the various systems, including funeral directors and police.
“I’m hoping that it can be really helpful,” she said. “I wouldn’t say this isn’t exclusive to an older population, there are things in here that I need to get my ducks in a row (on).”
“These are just really important things that people need to know about.”
Haley Flaro, Ability New Brunswick’s executive director, said seniors have been clear they want and need help planning and navigating the systems.
Ability NB helped develop the guide, especially with the accessibility and mobility sections.
“These resources provide a really great foundation for that to really help seniors navigate programs, services and benefits,” she said. “It is so essential to have tips, tools, resources like Ability New Brunswick and Ability NB will be using as well.”
The guide is accessible online at STU’s website or at any of New Brunswick’s Public Library.
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