While the name of a seniors’ gathering place in Nanaimo has changed, the services remain the same.
B.C. Seniors and Pensioners Nanaimo’s Branch 4 hall, situated at 2465 Labieux Rd. will now be known as Labieux Seniors Centre. The branch is affiliated with the B.C. Old Age Pensioner’s Organization.
Members can partake in shuffleboard, exercise classes, card games, luncheons and potlucks and it his hoped that they feel like part of a community, said Susan Jarvis, B.C. Seniors and Pensioners regional director for Vancouver Island.
“If you talk to some of the members and ask them why they belong, it’s a very friendly place and people feel comfortable here, you know? Some of them just consider it their home,” she said.
The organization’s goal is to promote and protect interests of B.C.’s seniors and Jarvis said one of the biggest obstacles they face is becoming accustomed to technology. It seems many services today require a phone and computer, she said.
”Some of these people here don’t have computers and if they did, they wouldn’t have a clue where to start,” said Jarvis. “You have to phone for everything. You have to phone Telus and you have to phone Shaw and you have to phone the [Canada Revenue Agency] and you have to phone Service Canada and it’s just awful for the seniors – they just get frustrated and hang up.”
There are volunteers on site who can offer assistance, or members can be directed to other organizations that can assist with computer literacy, such as Volunteer Nanaimo.
“They’re the ones to go to for the actual programs with people that are trained to do it,” said Jarvis.
Members from the CRA and Service Canada were even brought in recently to field questions from members.
Branch 4 was established 85 years ago and is the oldest branch in the province. There are more than 200 members in Nanaimo.
The annual membership fee is $30. For more information, call 250-585-5748 or visit http://seniorsnanaimo.ca.
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