How seniors navigators help hundreds of Prince Edward Islanders every month

When Annie Widdowson moved to Charlottetown from the United Kingdom this summer, the senior found the house she'd just bought needed some TLC, including a new heat pump. On top of that, she had an accident that injured both her hands, leaving her unable to type or write. 

She knew she'd need help, but she found it in an unusual place — at Access P.E.I., when she went to get a driver's licence. The clerk asked her a few questions about how she was settling in on the Island, and directed her to the province's seniors navigators. 

"The seniors navigator was an absolute blessing," Widdowson said. "That was a concept I'd never heard of." 

The navigators sat down to hear her story, then directed her to home care programs for seniors, as well as helping her apply for financial help installing a new heat pump from Efficiency P.E.I. 

"For me, it broke down the isolation, I think that's the key," Widdowson said. "I know she's there, I know I have someone that's reliable, informed."

Help for aging population

Jenna Arbing and Mary Jo Bernard are the seniors navigators who helped Widdowson. One generally looks after western P.E.I. and the other helps seniors in eastern P.E.I. 

"We have an aging population here — and in most other places — so the population of seniors is expanding," said Bernard. "To meet the needs of seniors, we are finding that we need more supports for them. And in this digital age, with technology, there is a need for helping seniors access those things." 

Times are tough, and if we can provide ... programs here and there that can benefit them, we will definitely do our best.— Jenna Arbing, seniors navigator

"We're a one-stop shop for information, whether that's federal, provincial or community level," said Arbing. 

"We are seeing that there's a lot of people that don't know what's available out there."

The province created the position of seniors navigator in 2021, and added a second position last year. The idea came out of a 2018 plan for seniors health and wellness on P.E.I., developed to address the challenges of an aging population and improve the wellness of seniors, near-seniors and caregivers. 

Each month, each navigator talks with about 200 people and tracks what seniors are looking for and what they've helped them with. 

"It's very well received, to have us out there giving them a hand. They're often surprised at the supports that are available to them and the different services they can access," said Bernard. 

'Times are tough'

One program to which the navigators often refer folks is the Seniors Independence Initiative, which can provide low-income seniors with up to $1,800 for help with things like housekeeping, meals, transportation and snow removal.

Another is the Seniors Home Renovation Program, through which lower-income seniors can receive up to $4,000 for things like new windows, roof or furnace, and up to $10,000 for accessibility adaptations. 

"A lot of people are looking to age in place — and a lot of people are also looking for some financial programs for supports as well," said Arbing.

"Times are tough, and if we can provide… any bits or nuggets of little programs here and there that can benefit them, we will definitely do our best to find those for them."  

It's an increasingly digital world, she noted, and some seniors are not completely comfortable using computers, so the navigators will not only steer people to the right programs, they will help clients fill out paperwork and online forms. 

Many seniors are also isolated socially, Bernard said, and she often gives out information on nearby seniors clubs and groups. 

Seniors don't have to travel far to find the navigators or meet with them: They have drop-in hours at Access P.E.I. offices, libraries and town halls across the Island, and their contact information and schedule can be found here. 

"I just really enjoy being out in the community, boots-on-the-ground approach, meeting with people, seeing what they need," said Bernard. "It makes a person feel good and it's a really enjoyable role to have." 

Annie Widdowson is grateful for the help, and anticipates more meetings with the navigators in her future. 

"I think [it's] commendable to P.E.I. for such an initiative, particularly if one's on their own or face challenges as people get older. It's incredible service," she said. "I would highly recommend it."

Meanwhile, the province has consulted Islanders through an online survey and community engagement sessions this fall, to come up with a new five-year seniors action plan.