The overall objectives of the Project were to promote the well-being of older women in Ontario by following up on the Action Research Project conducted in 1997/98 and to empower older women to initiate projects for lowering barriers to social change as indicated in the Action Research Report. As shown in the Action Research Project survey, some of the barriers are: cuts to hospital funding, under-funding of community care, inadequate funding of drugs, withdrawal of governments from affordable and accessible housing, cutbacks to transportation services for the disabled and elderly, and inadequate pensions. Through the Well-being Project, the survey results would be widely disseminated to appropriate individuals, organizations and government ministries, as well as to the agencies and organizations that co-operated in producing it. In addition, a resource kit listing important departments, agencies and organizations and their telephone numbers would be produced, as well as a guide to help older women organize on their own behalf. The final goal was to identify and analyze public policies and practices that act as barriers to the well-being of older women.
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Outcomes:

A Steering Committee to oversee the Well-being Project was established and included: Moira Bacon, Ann Farrell, Jean Houston, Charlotte Lyons, Elizabeth Walker and Ann Wirsig. Marion Lynn was hired as the Project Co-ordinator and Brenda Cranney was hired to produce the resource kit and organizing for action guide.

The first stage of the Project focused on making the findings of the Action Research Report public. Three hundred copies of the Report were printed initially, followed by an additional one hundred later, most of which have been distributed. Three launches were held: one at the Older Women’s Network office in Toronto, one in Peterborough and one in Ottawa. These were very well attended by politicians, the media, members of OWN and those interested in older women’s issues. Copies of the Report were sent to the Prime Minister, Premier of Ontario, Mayor of Toronto, federal and provincial cabinet ministers and city councillors with mandates that affect older women, and key members of the opposition parties. In addition, copies of the executive summary were sent to all women MPs and MPPs. Meetings to discuss the findings of the Report were held with: Dianne Cunningham, Minister for Intergovernmental Affairs and Women’s Issues; Cam Jackson, Minister Responsible for Seniors and Long-term Care; the staff of Janet Ecker’s office, Minister of Community and Social Services; and Howard Hampton, Marilyn Churley and Marion Boyd of the NDP. In addition, we had several letters from other politicians responding to issues raised by the Action Research survey findings and requesting additional copies of the Report. Further meetings would have been held with MPPs had the provincial election not been called.

The media attention to the Report and subsequent activities associated with the Well-being Project was very positive. This included three articles written by Judy Creighton, of the Canadian Press, which went across Canada, television appearances on CITY TV, Ryerson TV, and Rogers Cable TV, and interviews on Ryerson, University of Toronto and Loyalist College radio programmes. We had a number of requests for copies of the Report from this publicity.

As part of the outreach, members of the Project team and the Older Women’s Network attended meetings with beginning chapters of OWN in Hamilton and Parry Sound and gave a presentation to federal employees in Toronto. Workshops were presented at two conferences in Toronto: the Second National Conference on Elder Abuse, and the Ontario Gerontology Association’s annual conference. The Project Co-ordinator presented the findings of the report to COSSET (Co-ordination of Services for Seniors in East Toronto) and to In The Picture, a multi-cultural group sponsored by St. Christopher’s House and Dixon Hall. As a result of the COSSET meeting, a forum was held April 29, sponsored by OWN and Providence Centre, with over one hundred older women from the east end of Toronto attending.

During the year, close connection was maintained between those working on the Well-being Project and the Social Issues Action Committee (SIAC) of OWN. The Project Co-ordinator met with each of the social issues working groups, and attended monthly meetings of SIAC, the umbrella committee. In May, the Well-being Project and SIAC sponsored a workshop for members of the OWN committees to discuss social policy analysis. A paper on social policy analysis was produced by the Project.

One thousand copies of the Key Information Kit for Older Women In the Toronto Area, listing important departments, agencies and government ministries, were printed and distributed within about three months. This kit has been widely acclaimed and a second printing is being done, with some changes and additions, in order to respond to the numerous requests for copies. There have also been requests to have it translated into languages other than English, and to produce similar resource kits for other areas of the Province. Two hundred copies of Your Own Guide: Getting Organized and Taking Action on Behalf of Older Women were printed and are in the process of being distributed.
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OWN’s Follow-up Plans

Own has been discussing plans to hold more forums, similar to the one held at the Providence Centre, for St. Christopher’s and Dixon Hall and a further one with Providence Centre. This planning will be carried out in co-operation with the Quality of Life project being conducted by Dennis Raphael at University of Toronto. Other agencies have expressed an interest.

We plan also to continue to facilitate building older women’s constituencies in various regions and target communities including those from various ethno-cultural backgrounds; to continue building coalitions and partnerships; to influence an expanded network of key stakeholders in the public and private sectors about the importance of the various factors which affect the well-being of older women; to disseminate materials developed by the Older Women’s Network, including Your Own Guide: Getting Organized and Taking Action on Behalf of Older Women, in order to raise awareness of the needs of older women and assist them to participate in the decision making process.

Throughout the work of the Well-being Project it became obvious that housing for older women is a central need for their over-all well-being, and has been given little attention in spite of the high profile given to the cost of housing and homelessness. Consequently, for the upcoming year, the Older Women’s Network has decided to focus on the housing factor as it relates. to the well-being of older women. This project will be centred in Toronto but located as well in other areas, including areas where there are OWN chapters. If the funding permits, the project will expand to other communities within Ontario including rural women, francophones and First Nations.

The Older Women’s Network is grateful for the support provided by Status of Women Canada during the period September 1, 1998, to June 30, 1999.

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