New advisory council to focus on seniors, continuing care

EDMONTON – A new provincial advisory council (PAC) will launch next month, providing a direct connection between Alberta Health Services (AHS), seniors, the disabled and those receiving continuing care services, as well as their families and informal caregivers.

The Seniors and Continuing Care PAC includes 15 people from across the province who have personal interactions with continuing care, or are caregivers for clients in continuing care. They will provide AHS with advice on services and delivery related to seniors care and continuing care, and will report to the Community Engagement Committee of the AHS Board.

“It is important that we involve members of the public, clients and their families to improve planning and service delivery to help shape our future for continuing care,” says AHS President and CEO Dr. Verna Yiu.

AHS has two other PACs – one provides advice and input on cancer; the other on addiction and mental health – that also report to the Community Engagement Committee.

More than 70 Albertans applied to participate in the Seniors and Continuing Care PAC.

“We wish to sincerely thank the applicants who were so passionate and willing to volunteer their time to help make Alberta’s continuing care system better,” says Dr. Yiu. “Unfortunately, we had to limit our selections to 15. Selection was based on a set of criteria including a wide cross section of geography, populations and lived experiences.”

For more information on the Provincial Advisory Council on Seniors and Continuing Care, please visit https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/about/Page8714.aspx.

Advisory councils bring valuable outside system perspectives which help inform strategy, policy and planning development for AHS. In addition to PACs, AHS has 12 Health Advisory Councils (HACs) that bring the community’s voice into program and service decisions, and the Wisdom Council, which provides advice into programs and services for Indigenous populations.

Alberta Health Services is the provincial health authority responsible for planning and delivering health supports and services for more than four million adults and children living in Alberta. Its mission is to provide a quality, patient-focused health system that is accessible and sustainable for all Albertans.

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