Laura Stovel
Revelstoke Senior Life
This article is part of the Revelstoke Senior Life Newsletter, printed monthly in the Revelstoke Review.
A woman notices that her elderly neighbour, who used to love to talk and be out in the community, rarely leaves his home any more and, when he does, appears unusually dishevelled – even fearful.
A bank employee is concerned about a senior whose relative is pressing for greater access to his funds. A hairdresser has a vulnerable client who mentions that she’s sending money to a new love interest who she met online and wonders if that person is being scammed.
The neighbour, the hairdresser and the bank employee are all part of a community of people that pays attention to those around them and notices if something doesn’t seem right. The Community Response Network (CRN) educates community members about how they might respond if they are concerned about someone and links them to resources within and outside of Revelstoke.
CRN coordinator Laura Stovel is available to present workshops on adult abuse and responses to it. Our CRN is one of 86 CRNs across BC, all of which fall under the umbrella of the BCCRN, a provincially-funded, provincewide network.
The Revelstoke Community Response Network is made up of more than 20 service providers, including several branches of Interior Health in Revelstoke, the RCMP, Victim Services, the city’s social development coordinator, the Community Centre, Emergency Support Services, the Women’s Shelter, Community Connections, Better at Home, Hospice, the Revelstoke Credit Union, the library and the Seniors’ Centre. By meeting periodically, network members can collaborate to protect and enhance the lives of seniors and other vulnerable adults. For example, over the last two summers CRN members have been working together to plan and prepare for emergencies, such as an extreme heat emergency or an emergency evacuation. The CRN has access to foil insulation and fans to cool vulnerable people’s homes on request.
In the next few issues we will introduce you to some of our network members, beginning with the Better at Home Program, led by Deborah Hogan out of Community Connections. The program is filling gaps between services offered to Revelstoke seniors, helping them stay in their homes longer.
The Revelstoke Senior Life newsletter is also an effort by the CRN to connect and inform seniors. For more information or to subscribe, please contact the CRN coordinator, Laura Stovel, at revycrn@gmail.com or 250-814-8971.
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