A member of Ponoka County Regional Fire Services and two employees from Rimbey Family and Community Support Services are back from a national training session, equipped with new knowledge to help keep local seniors safe and in their homes longer.

Ponoka County Fire Services' Donna Noble and Christine Simpson and Pam Elliott from Rimbey FCSS earned a scholarship to attend the National Fire Protection Association's "Remembering When" Conference in Nashville last week, they were the only team from western Canada selected to attend.

Noble says the goal of that program is simple, to promote a safer home environment and keep seniors where they are most comfortable, at home.

“We’re trying to minimize the injuries, lift assists that might take place, the benefits of allowing them to stay in their home longer and educate them, because as we all get older we all realize that medication becomes an issue, and along with medication becomes you know dizziness, and our lifestyles change, we’re not as active when we hit 65, so our balance is off, our strength is off”.

She explains how they'll be putting their new training into action.

“Now over the course of the next basically year, we will be conducting 5 “Remembering When” group presentations to older adult audiences, so maybe like a seniors drop in centre, or into some of the lodges where they live independently on their own, have their own little apartment, but still have that live in group, we’ll be conducting at least 25 home visits, so we’ll be arranging those through Home Care”.

Noble says they will also be offering information sessions with fire department members and other community agencies and groups that are interested.

At the age of 65, older adults are twice as likely to be killed or injured by fires and by the age of 75 that risk increases to 3 times as likely, four times by the age of 85.

The “Remembering When” program has been implemented in communities throughout North America since 1999.