Source: The Care Guide

The Government of Canada works in three distinct levels. Federal, Provincial and Municipal. Each of these levels of Government has taken a unique approach in disseminating information over the Internet. All information is available to the Canadian citizen twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, ensuring faster, more in-depth and convenient access to services and information.

 

The best part about having this information available to Canadians is the research material available. We can now attend government facilities armed with the correct questions and information. We can avoid long lines, only to find out that we are in the wrong place. We can boycott the hours spent listening to Musack while "waiting for the next available operator", I know, I know, "you're very sorry for the inconvenience". All that these online sites require is a little web savvy and some time to swim through the volumes of archived information. You can even file your taxes online now! Welcome Canada to the twenty-first century!

 

Lets explore some of the federal government offerings together. From the main government Web site, I found an area with all kinds of information specific to seniors living in Canada, Seniors Canada Online. In addition to several links of specific interest to our seniors, one can even get an application for the Canada Pension Plan right online. It should be mentioned here that you will need to download the free program  Adobe Acrobat Reader in order to read any PDF file (Portable Document File). This is an important program for any net surfer because, quite often, when clicking on a link, you run into a surprise PDF file.

 

Other forms available include an Application for War Veterans Allowance, Government Annuity Forms, Tax Request Information and Old Age Security Forms. How wonderful to have these forms available without having to track down the government buildings where they can be obtained; without standing in line to get them; and without being put on hold for 45 minutes to simply request that they be mailed.

 

Another major online initiative on the part of the Federal Government is the Health Canada website. Within this site information can be found on many major conditions including Cancer, Diabetes and Aids. Perhaps one of the most interesting features of this website, is its late breaking information on health and health-care in Canada.

 

One Health Canada publication available in a PDF format of particular interest to seniors and their caregivers is the Seniors Guide to Federal Programs and Services to Federal Programs and Services. It is a comprehensive guide to what is currently available to our Canadian Seniors. But beware; it is a huge file, 3 MB, which translates to 91 pages. If the prospect of such a large file is daunting, there is contact information available for requesting this document in diskette form, large print, audio-cassette format and Braille.

 

You can also find a comprehensive guide to all online Government of Canada Departments and Agencies. From within this list you will find shortcuts to The Bank of Canada, The Canada Post Corporation, Elections Canada and Via Rail Canada Inc. Just about any federal information you may need, you will be able to find within this list.

 

So what is available to seniors and Caregivers, within the Federal Government series of websites? Everything. Let me take you through a scenario.

 

Your senior mom moves in with you, because, unfortunately, your father has passed and she is unable to live independently. You first investigate her pension rights and entitlements as a widow. Did you know that there is money within the CPP for helping to cover the cost of some funerals? So, you download applications for both changing her CPP status and applying for funeral benefits. You find out that Mom needs to have her Social Insurance Number to apply, but she has long since lost her card and forgotten her number. Another quick search, you have an application feeding through your printer. Fabulous! - Her income is well on the way to being secured.

 

You look around your house and quickly realize that there will need to be some modifications done to accommodate her limited mobility. You, however, are on a tight budget and are unable to afford these changes. What do you do? You find the Office for Disability Issues and you research what programs are available to help fund the renovations.

 

Okay, so mom is settled but is getting restless - she wants to go on her annual cruise. So, you check with Health Canada to see if there are any international Health Warnings. You see that the Caribbean is all clear, so you book a cruise for mom. But she needs to know what trinkets she can bring back for the grandkids. Dad had always kept her in check; he knew exactly what could legally be brought into the country and the quantity restrictions. So, you are off to the Canada Customs website to read up on import taxes and restrictions.

 

Back at home for fun one evening, you and Mom peruse the National Art Gallery website or read Canadian poetry held within the digital archives of the National Library of Canada.

 

Well you get the idea. There is a great deal out there. So much, that we will be bringing you future articles, covering provincial and municipal sites. As well, we will cover individual sites within each of these three governments. We would love to hear from you. What gems have you found within our Government websites? What is lacking? Please feel free to use our community message boards to discuss your experiences. Or let us know what you would like us to investigate for you. Or better yet, write an article for this site yourself! This is your community.