DSS: Latest news
Recent news
We Are Familee Project: Call for volunteers
Dignity Seniors Society is looking for Queer volunteers to assist with our We Are Familee Pilot Project, where volunteers are paired with a 2SLGTBQIA+ senior in a downtown Vancouver long term care facility.
Volunteers visit their senior once a week for 2 hrs to assist in ways that improve their seniors' daily lives and community connections.
Criminal record checks and interviews are required prior to being accepted into the program.
DSS Fall 2024 Newsletter
Fall is here and the end of year is fast approaching, and it feels like elections are the hot topic. We hope you managed to get out to vote in the BC election and that you caught the great work put into the election candidate survey by our friends at Advocacy Canada.
Our 📰 Fall 2024 Newsletter 🗞️ is designed to keep you informed of all the great work we are doing at Dignity Seniors Society and the work of our partner organizations that affect 2SLGBTQIA+ seniors' care. ...
We are also proud to announce the launch of a new national collaboration in November, of which DSS was a founding member. DSS Board members work hard with a group of amazing people from Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan to develop a solid foundation of policies and procedures that would guide the work of the Senior Pride Network Canada / Réseau de la Fierté des Aîné·e·s du Canada (SPNC/RFAC). ... SPNC/RFAC has looked to its well-resourced sister organization SAGE in the U.S. for inspiration and guidance. Stay tuned for updates on this exciting coalition of over twenty frontline 2SLGBTQIA+ seniors' serving organizations.
Other highlights in the Fall Newsletter
• Welcome New DSS Board Directors
• QMUNITY's Legacy in Bloom: Honouring Our Elders' Stories
• Fall is Conference Season
• New Resources For You To Explore
• United Voices Against Hate and Oppression
DSS is proud to launch our Q-Elders Project
June 28th 2024 marks the 55th anniversary of the Stonewall Revolution. Dignity Seniors Society is delighted to commemorate this important moment in history with the launch of the Q-Elders Project.
DSS Board fully supports the latest report from the BC Seniors Advocate - ‘Billions More Reasons to Care’
The DSS Board fully supports the latest report from the BC Seniors Advocate: “Billions more reasons to care. Contracted long-term care: Funding review update.”
Specifically, the DSS Board supports the four main recommendations put forward by the BC Seniors’ Advocate.
1. Public money subsidizing long-term facilities designated for direct care must be spent on direct care, and not on other expenses. If not used for direct care, those funds must be returned.
2. There must be complete transparency in monitoring standards, and in reporting on performance using those standards. Reporting must also be standardized.
3. Define profit. Are management fees profit? Are mortgage payments for private facilities profit?
4. The financial status and reports of long-term care facilities that are publicly subsidized must be made public.
DSS Board member Adriaan de Vries has written an easy to read synopsis of the report.
New Funding Announcements for DSS
We are honored that the important work of Dignity Seniors Society has been recognised through this important funding from the Government of Canada’s Community Services Recovery Fund. This funding will support us to rebuild our organization, after surviving the devastating effects of the COVID Pandemic on our services. This timely, supportive, and encouraging vote of confidence has inspired our Board to surge forward with our pre-COVID-19 strategic plan for building capacity in all aspects of our organization.