Sheree Kwong See, Alberta seniors advocate since September 2016, addresses a group of seniors at the Veiner Centre in September.--NEWS PHOTO GILLIAN SLADE
gslade@medicinehatnews.com@MHNGillianSlade
The seniors advocate’s office in Edmonton will no longer exist effective Dec. 24, a spokesperson for the office confirmed on Monday.
This office was established in 2014 and Sheree Kwong See was appointed for a three-year term in September 2016.
According to a news report the five remaining staff and some of the budget for the seniors advocate will be transferred to the existing health advocate’s office and report directly to the minister of health.
When Kwong See visited Medicine Hat in September she explained that the office had been established under a “ministerial order” rather than an “act” to advocate on issues affecting seniors and also assist seniors in navigating their way through a process to achieve a resolution on issues they were dealing with.
Since Kwong See was appointed the office had handled 3,560 client cases with a budget of about $980,000. About $770,000 of that amount accounted for salaries and benefits.
There was no press release announcing the closing of the office but one media report suggests the government felt it would save about $500,000 a year.
Kwong See’s 2018/19 annual report said about 28 per cent of the calls to her office were related to health care while a similar amount were about income and financial support for seniors. About 26 per cent were from seniors looking for social supports and just over 21 per cent needed assistance with housing.
