We are thrilled to welcome two wonderful individuals to our board of directors and a capable addition to our staff. Their diverse expertise and commitment to excellence will undoubtedly enrich our organization’s efforts to improving laws in BC.

New Board Members:

Audrey Jun is a lawyer and the Executive Director at Nidus Personal Planning Resource Centre, a charitable organization. She specializes in estates and trusts law, particularly helping people with disabilities and seniors. Nidus was founded by community groups involved in improving adult guardianship laws in British Columbia, including the BC Representation Agreement Act.

Lisa C. Fong, KC specializes in administrative, Aboriginal and environmental litigation and advising governmental bodies. She represents Indigenous governments and non-Indigenous regulatory bodies, offering legal services on various matters like elections, codes of conduct, housing and employment. Her firm also conducts educational programs in administrative and Aboriginal law.

New Staff Member:

Ken Chau, Communications Manager brings over a decade of experience in marketing and communications. With a background at many non-for-profit organizations, he is experienced in navigating the intricacies of this sector. Before joining BCLI, Ken was responsible for the fundraising campaign’s marketing communications plan and digital initiatives at Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver.

Please join us in extending a warm welcome to Audrey, Lisa and Ken as we embark on this journey together to better serve our community. You can learn more about them on our website here.

The post Introducing Our Newest Board Members and Staff first appeared on British Columbia Law Institute.

With mixed emotions, we bid farewell to Kelly Melnyk, our Canadian Centre for Elder Law (CCEL) Director, as she embarks on a new journey. While we’re saddened to see her leave, we are thrilled for the exciting opportunities ahead for her.

During her short time with us, Kelly led the important work of the CCEL and completed many of our ongoing projects. Most recently, Kelly oversaw the completion and release of our Dementia + Decision-Making Project, which is a set of resources and tools to support the rights of those living with dementia in making decisions about their care and well-being.

Under her guidance, we were able to begin the work of better expanding our reach into the BC interior. We now have a memorandum of understanding with Thompson Rivers University for a remote office at the Faculty of Law – an important relationship for us as a law reform institute. Kelly’s dedication to excellence, innovative thinking and her ability to bring practical approaches to elder law issues has had a meaningful impact as we develop new projects this year, including a Trauma Informed Legal Writing Guide and expanding the scope of our work in relation to vulnerable witnesses in the court system.

We extend our deepest gratitude to Kelly for her passion and commitment during her time with us. We wish you the best Kelly and hope you will keep in touch.  

Ed Wilson, Board Chair and Karen Campbell, Executive Director

The post Farewell to Our CCEL Director Kelly Melnyk first appeared on British Columbia Law Institute.

Over the course of this project, we partnered with and learned from people living with dementia, including those with other disabilities, family caregivers and care partners and health care professionals. This included focus groups, advisory committees, consultations, and a highly attended Dementia Rights Gathering to engaging with people living with dementia, or those who live with, support, or work with people living with dementia. Throughout these conversations, we learned about barriers faced by people living with dementia but, more importantly, strategies that helped in empowering them to participate in care decisions.Our tools – practical guides, information brochures, videos and decision-making pathways – provide practical information and information about how the law works. While the resources are all interconnected, and we encourage you to review them all, you may also wish to focus on a particular issue or tool. We hope that these tools will help people living with dementia, family or friend caregivers and care partners, and health care professionals in empowering people living with dementia to participate in care decisions. You can access the CCEL Dementia + Decision-Making Project here

The post CCEL Dementia + Decision Making Project first appeared on British Columbia Law Institute.

What are the key services the Alzheimer Society of B.C. provides?

Working in communities throughout the province, the Alzheimer Society of B.C. supports and advocates for and with people affected by dementia. We enable research into the disease, which includes collaborating with municipalities and businesses to build communities that are inclusive, supportive and accessible for people living with dementia. Through the Dementia-Friendly Communities initiative and close work with health authorities and care providers, the Alzheimer Society of B.C. helps to connect people to the services they need and ensure health-care providers have the skills and knowledge to provide the best care possible, through access to person-centred dementia education. We also work closely with advocates with lived experience to ensure their voices are heard by leaders and policy makers at the municipal, provincial and federal levels.

Through the Alzheimer Society of B.C.’s suite of First Link® dementia support services, the Society provides:

• Individual support: Ongoing support calls to identify changing needs and offer information and resources tailored to each unique situation; 
• Support groups: In-person and online groups for caregivers and people in the early stages of dementia to learn from and connect with others in a similar situation;
• Dementia education: Workshops and weekly webinars on a wide variety of topics from diagnosis to end of life;
• Minds in Motion®: A social and fitness program for people in the early stages of dementia and a care partner, based in community centres;
• Coffee and Chat: A social program for people in the early stages of dementia and caregivers to have fun while connecting with others in a similar situation;
• Information: Resource handouts, brochures, fact sheets and videos, as well as quarterly newsletters containing updates on events in a specific area; and
• First Link® Dementia Helpline: A centralized access point for dementia information and support for anyone affected by dementia, personally or professionally. Learn more here.

What are the connections or interactions between the Alzheimer Society of B.C. and the law?

The Alzheimer Society of B.C. supports and educates families in planning for the future, including legal and financial needs. Connecting with partners such as the CCEL is a way to provide the families support with meaningful and accessible information from experts through workshops. The Society also works directly with organizations and businesses who engage with families affected by dementia – including law firms – to develop dementia-friendly practices. Partnering with the CCEL has been an opportunity to educate lawyers about the impact of legislation, regulations and policy on people with lived experience of dementia, while also being able to contribute to and influence law reform – an essential component of improving the lives of people affected by dementia.

Why is the Canadian Elder Law Conference important to the Alzheimer Society of B.C.? Do you have any topics from past conferences that you found stuck with you?

The Alzheimer Society of B.C. appreciates opportunities to share its vision and mission with a wider audience of people interested in issues affecting our aging population, as well as being able to share dementia-friendly practices and amplify the voices of people with lived experience.

Anything else you want to attendees/potential attendees to know about the Alzheimer Society of BC and their efforts in serving an aging population?

The Alzheimer Society of B.C. believes that people living with dementia are individuals with the same human rights as everyone else, including the right to form their own opinions and participate in decisions about their life and care. It is essential that people living with dementia and their families and caregivers be consulted in discussions as well as legislative or procedural decisions on topics that affect them. The Society respects the right of all people living with dementia to advocate for their personal best interests; we are here to provide people living with dementia with support and information so that they can make informed decisions about their care, including end of life. We encourage people living with dementia to engage in personal planning and make their wishes for health and personal care decisions known to their family members and substitute decision-makers as soon as possible after diagnosis. Ensuring lawyers see that a diagnosis of dementia does not mean one loses the ability to make or communicate a decision – and that patience, respect and making space for the person living with dementia, is critical to ensuring the person living with dementia retains their right to express their own choices.

The post CCEL Spotlight: Alzheimer’s Society of B.C. first appeared on British Columbia Law Institute.

We have a few days to go until the 2023 Canadian Elder Law Conference on Thursday, the first to be in-person since 2019. The speakers are preparing to share their knowledge and CLE BC has been working hard to make sure things run smoothly for those in-person and online. One aspect that makes the Canadian Elder Law Conference unique is the emphasis on an inter-disciplinary attendance. Bringing these different perspectives allows for interesting perspectives and dialogue on the issues affecting older persons.

Making these different perspectives possible are amazing supporters of the Canadian Elder Law Conference. We would like to take a moment to thank the organizations committed to supporting the inclusion of attendees from non-profits, the health care profession, and students. Without their longtime support of the Canadian Elder Law Conference, we would not have as vibrant discussions and forward-looking thought to this unique and intersecting area of law.

The post Thanks for Supporting the CCEL first appeared on British Columbia Law Institute.