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Senior power

Paul Bickford
Northern News Services

Fort Smith (Sep 02/02) - She's 70 years old and retired, but shows no signs of slowing down.

Bea Campbell now works to promote the concerns of seniors and elders to the territorial government as the president of both the Fort Smith and NWT Seniors societies.

News/North: Is it difficult to be president of both the Fort Smith and NWT Seniors Societies?

Bea Campbell: No. They don't conflict at all because we do separate things. The NWT Seniors Society is more like an advisory committee to the legislative assembly. We have a say in all of our benefits. I feel very honoured to be president of the NWT Seniors.

I feel that we are well-respected in the territories, and I feel we are well-respected because we are a real volunteer organization. We don't get honorariums. And I really, really hope that we don't for a while yet because this way I think we can show people that you don't have to have honorariums all the time.

We do some good work and we're respected for that. We do this because we want to do it, not for the money. Sometimes you belong to an organization for a few extra dollars in your pocket. We have a small budget for travel for people to come to Yellowknife or wherever twice a year and one annual general meeting where we get together and talk about our concerns.

N/N: The funding comes from the territorial government?

BC: From the Department of Health. We have a very good minister right now. We're very lucky to have Michael Miltenberger because he's always been interested in seniors, even as our local member. Just as an ordinary MLA he supported us very much and everybody is very happy with him at the NWT Seniors Society.

As the Minister of Health and Social Services he's responsible for seniors. We had all good ministers, but Michael shows how interested he is in the welfare of seniors.

N/N: At one time, didn't seniors want a full minister responsible just for seniors?

BC: We never did as much as the disabled wanted a minister. Right now, we're pretty happy the way it is. We don't feel we're big enough to have a minister.

N/N: What does your work involve as president?

BC: As president I try to get the people together to find out their concerns and I feel we have to have a stronger voice in the legislature. The seniors' benefits in the territories are very good.

We have the best housing and the housing benefits are great, especially housing with care. We've got good health benefits and we want to make sure we keep all of those, especially the medical travel. Anybody over 60 can travel and have everything paid for and you're looked after. Those are the kind of things we work on.

N/N: What is the major issue facing seniors right now?

BC: We're looking at elder abuse. That would be one of the main topics at our annual general meeting. We're having Sister Sutherland talk to us on that. I think she could talk to us better than anybody from the South.

We know that we're going to have to have territorial legislation before elder abuse can stop. Right now, if you find out somebody is being abused financially, not usually so much physically, nobody wants to report it. They may have to go to some kind of legislation. Sometimes it has to be reported, otherwise these parents or grandparents are living in poverty. Their children or grandchildren have taken all their money.

N/N: What did you do before you retired?

BC: Before I retired I was the human resource officer at the Fort Smith Health Centre. When I came up here I was a nurse. I came here in 1958. I was working in Edmonton but I come from the St. Paul area, the Saddle Lake Reserve there.

N/N: Why did you get so involved in senior issues?

BC: I didn't want to. I didn't think I needed to join the seniors, yet the Fort Smith Seniors Society had asked me as soon as I turned 60, even before 60. When I retired they were paying somebody to take the minutes of the meetings and to do the books. I have a financial background because I used to do the whole office, all the finance and hiring. And I'm trained in medical records, too.

They asked me to do that to save our seniors a few dollars because we're not funded. We raise all our funds here ... I was sort of drafted and I said I'd take it on. I didn't know I'd become so interested. And I really feel like we're really blooming here in Fort Smith.

N/N: What about other seniors societies throughout the NWT?

BC: Hay River is going well. So is Simpson, Yellowknife and Resolution. Inuvik had a society, but they've sort of come apart for a little while. But we still have a rep from there, and we have a rep from Tuk and Tulita.

N/N: Would you like to see more communities represented?

BC: I would like to see Fort Providence join and whoever else could. And have the government fund us so we could bring them into a meeting.

Because for seniors, a conference call is no good ... I just find them so hard, especially with seniors, because it's just like they're not there. And when they're at the table they really contribute to a meeting, but not on the telephone. They'll say yes, but I'd like to see their faces to see if they really mean yes.

N/N: With the percentages of seniors rising in the population, do you see the power of seniors increasing in the future?

BC: Yes, it has to. I can see senior power because we've gained our respect. That's why I see it ... it's the people who formed the NWT Seniors Society. I don't think it was me that gained this respect. I think it was earned quite a while ago.

N/N: What else are you involved with as a volunteer?

BC: I'm involved as a volunteer with the hospital auxiliary. We're raising money for the handi-van fund committee. I'm also on the Fort Smith Health and Social Services Board.

N/N: Do you think younger people should become involved in seniors' issues?

BC: We're all going to grow older. It's like when Michael Miltenberger first joined us, he had to be an affiliate, and he used to tell people he was a senior in training.

That's what they usually tell us. In 10 years time, you're either retired or you're working towards it, and you don't want to lose everything that we had.