This past weekend I attended National Seniors Day which was held at the Welland Public Library at the Seaway Mall where numerous local community organizations and groups in senior living provided resources and support from special care, health and financial tips and more!

Seniors offer a wealth of experience, knowledge and memories that ground and inspire us every day in our families, workplaces and communities but they face challenges daily that we take for granted and make them feel less a part of our community if we continue to isolate, ignore and dismiss them.

Although I’m not a stranger to taking care of seniors; my mom is alive and well in her 80s and I’ve assisted and supported her with her appointments and care, and as a nurse, I am constantly giving care, health teaching and offering after-care support. Now I myself, really have no challenges or barriers as I walk in my neighbourhood, take a bus or shop but some seniors do.

What we take for granted, walking on city sidewalks, waiting for buses to arrive, using our parks, carrying groceries long distances, and shovelling snow to name a few doesn’t come easy for our most vulnerable population.

Let’s look at public transportation, our Welland Transit represents a viable option to get around but did you know the majority of Welland Transit bus stops are not created equally? Located on the shoulders of roads where stones and deep ditches line the road as vehicles of all sorts fly by? How do we make this right for our seniors and those will accessibility challenges?

It’s well known that failure to access suitable transportation impacts health and well-being via missed medical appointments, shopping and social activities.

Welland needs to engage our age-friendly senior citizen and accessibility committees to listen to their concerns to resolve these problems. Listening to the lived experience of older adults provides an authentic voice for community input on key matters such as transportation.

Welland needs to upgrade requirements regarding bus stop location, size, connectivity, clearance and walkways. All bus stops must have sufficient, non-obstructed space with firm, stable, and slip-resistant surfaces to accommodate boarding at each of the stops. The bus must have adequate space for passenger movement on and off the buses including sidewalk clearance.

Bus stop signage must be visibly located outside the accessible shelters, we need better wayfinding and large print traffic signage with print on these signs using contrasting colours for greater visibility and legibility for those with vision impairments. Welland also needs to install bus benches in shelters especially if wait times are longer than 10 minutes.

These are just some of the ideas that I’ll take into account and speak for the needs of vision-, hearing- and mobility-challenged people that can make bus riding more intuitive and enjoyable for the aging bus riders and the community as a whole.

For more information on my campaign, my platforms or to meet me visit SylviaForWard4Welland.ca

Authorized by the Official Agent for the Sylvia Parrotta for Ward 4 Welland Campaign