The phrase “Knowledge is Power” needs to be updated for the current century.
Back when Sir Francis Bacon was writing, it was absolutely true. Now — 400 odd years later — it might make more sense to say “knowing where to find knowledge is power.”
But that’s not nearly as catchy, I suppose.
Since we have access to the internet, the entire archive of human knowledge is available at our fingertips. It might be convenient, but it’s also overwhelming. A Google search might return hundreds of thousands of responses, all in less than a second.
The true keepers of knowledge are those who know how to sort through the mess, who know the right places to go and the people to call.
Our Seniors Supports staff are those kinds of people.
Since we’re writing one story a week, every week, in honour of our 50th Anniversary, it just makes sense we’d talk about Seniors Supports — formerly the information department — because that was one of the very first services that Kerby Centre provided.
Back then, it was just one person with a telephone line. Now, it’s a full office filled with volunteers and staff members. In simple terms, Seniors Supports aims to assist folks with getting the information they need. In practice, it’s a bit more complex than that.
When older adults come in with questions, Seniors Supports aims to have answers and assistance. That means they need to be familiar with a variety of subjects: tax filing, housing applications, community referrals and benefits and pensions.
That last one is a huge part of what they do: there are lots of different benefits and pensions available to seniors, but navigating the bureaucracy can be difficult: how do you know if you’re eligible? How do you apply? What happens if you make a mistake on the paperwork and get rejected?
“You might get a letter if you’re eligible for these things, but you might not,” explains the staff at Seniors Supports.
“If your address has changed and it wasn’t updated… if you’re new to Canada, you might not know you qualify.”
There are a lot of reasons folks might not know what benefits they are entitled to. That’s where the Seniors Supports staff come in. They help seniors see what they are eligible for, assist with applications and phone calls, and file their taxes so they can receive these benefits.
Filing your taxes is a huge part of it. Even if you’re not working as a senior, you won’t receive the benefits you’re entitled to unless you consistently file your taxes.
But then again! Seniors Supports is there to help with that too! The free tax clinic they host for low-income seniors every single year is massively popular. Only halfway into 2023 and they’ve helped complete over 4,043 returns.
That’s a lot of information to remember. And it may sound a bit dry: phone calls to government agencies, forms to be filled out, applications to subsidized housing to be made; waitlists, paperwork, and administration.
But when you remember the human element of what this department does, you’ll see that every single thing they assist with has the potential to be life-changing.
Take X, for example.
X. is the initialism we will be using to ensure the confidentiality and privacy of an individual the Seniors Support department recently assisted.
X. was from overseas and had lived in Canada for over 30 years. He worked a variety of odd jobs, including as a cook, a cab driver, and a dishwasher.
In his time here, no one told him he’d need to file income tax. As a new arrival, no one just hands you a book that says “How to be a Canadian Citizen,” so how would he ever have known?
X. ends up turning 65 and receives a letter saying he’s eligible to apply for the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) and Old Age Security, two federal pensions. He had no idea they existed, and the language barrier made it difficult for him to understand.
Seniors Supports were there for him when he walked in the door with questions. They had answers, they had help and they had the patience to start getting him exactly what he deserved.
They helped him file taxes for 2022, first and foremost. This not only immediately entitled him to 11 months’ worth of GST cheques and climate rebates, but also helped contact the Canada Revenue Agency to get the paperwork for his previous decades of work.
They also helped him apply for his new benefits and pensions, as well as getting him on the waiting list for subsidized housing.
He walked into Kerby Centre with questions and walked out with life-changing news: he would have a secure, monthly income; he could be more independent; and most importantly, he could feel secure in his place in this world and start to go out and enjoy life.
“You saved me from financial hardship,” X. said. “I wish I knew about your Centre much sooner.”
“We’re not just giving people answers,” Seniors Supports staff says. “We’re giving people the knowledge that they don’t have to struggle.”
So maybe we should update the saying. It’s not “Knowledge is Power” anymore.
Security. Hope. Independence. These things are powerful. Knowledge is how we get folks there.
And with Seniors Supports, we can.
