If someone asked you to be part of a change network what would you say? That’s a pretty big ask. It’s bold… audacious even. You might be hesitant to jump in.

This is what the Edmonton Seniors Coordinating Council is asking from the Stewardship Round Table, which emerged from the Connecting Edmonton Seniors initiative with a shared goal of supporting every senior in the Edmonton area to age well in community.

The idea of a change network might sound daunting, but at its heart is a group of organizations and people who want to make the experience of aging better for Edmonton seniors by working together to create systemic change.

Social isolation is a complex issue and we all need to play a role to support seniors to live healthily in their homes and communities. The importance of sharing expertise, resources, contacts, and talent is one of the many ways we can help seniors connect with appropriate services and meet their needs.

The longer-term goal of the stewardship group is to sustain a broad network of organizations so we can develop a seamless, coordinated approach to promoting inclusion and wellbeing.

We want to see people from all levels within all types of organizations get involved. The initiative needs people who are big picture thinkers as well as those who can create grass roots actions.

Members of the Stewardship Round Table work at all levels, including grass roots providing services directly to seniors; neighbourhood and community to nurture mutual, caring connections; and strategically to support social and cultural change that will result in ongoing improvement in services and quality of life for all seniors.

Where do you fit in?

• Social, political, economic, and academic thinkers and leaders.
• Elected officials from all orders of government.
• Service providers.
• Funders passionate about promoting social inclusion.
• Individuals who are willing to give their time and energy to the many different aspects of identifying, understanding, and addressing the challenges and barriers to social inclusion and well-being.

The Stewardship Round Table has identified shared goals in identifying what success looks like. Together, we are working together to realize:

• systems change for the benefit of seniors;
• trusting relationships across seniors serving organizations;
• effective collaboration across seniors serving organizations;
• effective advocacy and an increased understanding and profile of issues that are of importance to seniors within our community;
• increased capacity within senior servicing organizations; and
• increased understanding of the impact of our actions.

As a result of ongoing discussions, the Stewardship Round Table has developed a guide identifying what needs to change for seniors to age well in community.