How can we buy some time? A-Supreme Foundation 3rd Annual Fundraising Gala

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

“As seniors continue to suffer from loneliness and neglect, and as caring for themselves becomes increasingly challenging, we are extending a hand to help them.” ~ Keisha Johnson, President

Regardless of the: hair dye, botox, tummy tucks, face lifts, and the many other approaches we as humans use to slow down the process, we all age, and even though we may feel able bodied in this moment, there is going to come a time when you will not be able to move around as freely as you would like to. I remember my mom reminding me that I should be kind to the elderly because we are all going there. I have always kept that thought in mind, and it is one of the reasons that when Keisha Johnson, President at A-Supreme Foundation approached me about the Golden Circle Dignity Campaign, “I’ll Buy Some Time,” I thought long and hard about how I was going to present this to the community.

I figured I would start by highlighting some of the pertinent issues surrounding aging in Ontario. There are a few aspects of the current system that are important to note when it comes to the care of our seniors; The Ontario Human Rights Commission detailed specific issues that the elderly face:

• There is a perception that older persons are frail and dependent, which leads to the assumption that they are a strain on the system.
• A survey of 115 Ontario physicians found a failure by many family doctors to treat elderly patients for depression, anxiety disorders and dementia due to negative attitudes in the health care context, which results in barriers for elderly to access the health care system.
• Normal physical changes that occur as people age, and the diseases or disabilities that affect some seniors have implications when it comes to safe housing.

It is for all these reasons that there is a need for medical services and facilities that are designed to meet the needs of our aging community. It is this very need that was noticed by the women who have come together to provide care and support to vulnerable and low-income seniors in our community who are unable to afford adequate homecare and assistance. I had an opportunity to speak with Vivienne Dickson, who spoke on behalf of Vivienne Duett, and Winsome Johnson, the co-founders of A-Supreme Foundation, and I took this time to find out what motivated them to work with the aging community.

“The three of us currently run an agency that assists elders within the community. We receive calls all week asking for help, and when we ask how they heard of us, they tell us that the government informed them of our services. The government has become overwhelmed with the demands of the aging community, and when they offer help, it is only like two hours a week, which we know is not nearly enough.”

“What made me realize the seriousness of the situation is when we received a call from an elder in the community; it was a typical call until we received a call-back from the PSW (Personal Support Worker), and she let us know that she was willing to donate her time because of what she had just experienced. The man that she had gone to help had both of his legs amputated, and this made it difficult for him to take care of himself. To make it worse, he lived with his mother, who also had both of her legs amputated. It is situations like this that have me reaching out to our community; people need help, and we are responsible for providing them with the assistance they need.”

“So how does Buy Some Time work?” I inquired. “So people may not necessarily have the time, but they can pay it forward in a few ways: If you donate $800.00, you buy a senior 20 hours; If you donate $400.00, you buy a senior 10 hours, and if you donate $190.00, you buy a senior 5 hours. Our goal is to raise $100,000 for the Buy Some Time Project, and people can come out to our 3rd Annual Fundraising Gala that is being held on Saturday September 28th at Panemente Banquet & Conventon Centre. This is located at 220 Humberline Drive in Etobicoke. People can get more information by visiting us at a-supremefoundation.com.

As a community this is possible; this could mean joining forces with other community organizations and pooling money together; anything is possible, and we have to make it possible for our community members who are in need.