Our mission has been to improve the quality of life of the elderly poor, support their independence and inclusion, and provide services and programs to relieve distress, poverty and sickness. We partner with local, national and international organizations to support, facilitate and encourage effective and sustainable community programs. We support programs and services that help the elderly meet their basic needs, improve their quality of life, and increase their capacity to contribute to their communities. We are the only registered charity in Canada with the exclusive mission of assisting destitute elderly people in both Canada and the developing world.  

What we do: 

Help the Aged (Canada) offers programs for the elderly poor in 11 countries worldwide. Our primarily programs focus on health care, agro forestry, food aid, emergency assistance, capacity building, training and sponsorship. All of our overseas programs are coordinated through local charitable organizations such as the Oblate Missionaries, the Salvation Army, and the St. Vincent de Paul Society. We also work locally and nationally to provide the same support to vulnerable seniors in Canada. The diverse spectrum of our programs includes: 

Local:

We promote two major programs: Reaching Out to Isolated Seniors (ROTIS) and the Elderly in Need Program. ROTIS is a program that encourages communities in Ottawa to work together in identifying and reaching out to socially isolated seniors. For more information, see its website at www.isolatedseniors.ca. We also support two other programs in Ottawa: Capital City Mission and The Mission.

The Elderly in Need Program provides one-time grants of up to $1000 to seniors living below the poverty line who are in financial crisis. It is a means of providing a short-term intervention while longer-term solutions are developed.  This program is provided nationally as well.

National:

In Canada, we support numerous local charitable organizations working with the elderly poor that includes the following:

St. Christopher House Meals on Wheels Program in Toronto; Abraham’s Lodge and Care Society in William’s Lake, British Columbia; Operation Friendship in Edmonton; Le P.A.S. de la rue in Montreal and Glace Bay Food Bank in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia.

Through our National Career Focus Internship Program funded by Human Resources and Social Development Canada (HRSDC), we place young professionals with partner agencies in nine provinces and one territory.  Our partners tend to be small NGOs that provide support for vulnerable elderly in their communities.  The addition of these human resources assists them greatly to enhance current programs and introduce new programs.

International:

Adopt-A-Gran

Adopt-A-Gran is a sponsorship program, and for $27 a month you can make a difference in the life of a destitute elderly person. You can choose to sponsor either a man or a woman in one of eight different countries, including Kenya, Haiti, Jamaica and Sri Lanka. Your donation will provide basic necessities such as food, clothing, shelter, essential medical services.

By letting needy seniors know someone in Canada cares about their well-being, you will fill them with hope and dignity. 

Kenyan Gift Catalogue

Our organization offers a gift catalogue in which people can purchase a variety of necessities for Grans in Kenya. The Kenya gift catalogue features a variety of necessities in developing countries, including chickens: $12, goats: $40, sheep: $40, mosquito nets: $10, and even a new home for only $520. Your gift will be used to assist Grans and needy seniors near Ahero, Kenya who are cared for by the Franciscan Sisters of St. Joseph. These gifts will allow seniors to be independent and establish a source of livelihood.  

Congo

Help the Aged has provided primary health care and agricultural projects in the Congo since 1996. We provide support to projects of two regions in Congo. One of the projects is in the province of Equateur in focusing on improvements to three hospitals (Karawa, Loko and Bokada) serving a population of 400,000. We will also be involved in community health programs including the training of 38 regional health leaders. The second project is in the West Kasai Region, the aim is to combat malnutrition and starvation which is prevalent in this area. This new two year project is focusing on agricultural production with 30,000 farmers receiving our direct support through approximately 1,000 local farming associations. 

Haiti