After 35 years serving as Altona’s C.A.R.E. (Community Assisted Resources for the Elderly) coordinator, Ann Kroeker is moving on to the next chapter.
Kroeker celebrated her retirement last Saturday surrounded by friends, family, and colleagues. There was cake, speeches, and congratulations all around for the woman who was part of the formation of Altona’s original Home Care Program in 1974.
She was a public health nurse at the time. Later, she led Phase Two of the program, which was initiated by the province in 1986.
“They had a vision for the next chapter, and 2015 was established as the date that the baby boomers were going to be hitting the older person’s age bracket. They were already preparing for this in the 1970s.”
At the time, the fully-funded home care program fell to the public health nurses to implement.
“Primarily, it was persuading clients to accept home care. There was no interest in this program, and the province needed to prove that this program was a success. It was a very complex situation.”
Eventually the program took off, and it is currently loaded with clients.
Kroeker’s career later evolved to part-time work at Eastview Place before leaving for eight years to raise her family.
She returned to the workplace in 1986 in a support services to seniors position.
“I was instantly interested in this. My first day in June, I had a desk and a phone, a pen and a pad of paper. By September we had a taxi program and a meal program going, and housekeeping services being offered, and by the next year, we had a program at the Ebenezer Units and Manor going, with 20 people attending. From there on, it just escalated into a very meaningful, popular service.”
Kroeker says her vision was to build a community within these buildings.
“They were going to need each other, and in so many buildings, they came to count on these services. And the meal coordinators were chosen for their ability to warm up to the people and create a friendly climate at the table. The staff really learned to love the clients. It was a work of love.”
Prior to Phase 2, home care was universal, with no fees attached. Phase 2 was a support service to seniors, which came with a user fee and local boards which only received grants.
“I don’t remember any resistance to the user fee for their meals,” says Kroeker. “If anything, there was relief. There was an element of pride that came with paying their own way.”
While C.A.R.E. has evolved over the last three decades, Kroeker says the guidelines of this program were always definite.
“It was congregate meals, resource services, friendly visitation, transportation, and any other supports. We’re the only community that I know of that the resource council runs the handi-van. Most of the towns like Carman and Morden have their own boards.”
This continued into a Lifeline program and the administration of a palliative care program, and finding volunteers for the Meal on Wheels program at the Altona hospital.
“We kept on adding things to round out our connection with the community. These are all volunteer-driven programs. Over the years, our volunteers have outnumbered staff.”
The agency’s services have always been based on partnerships throughout the community, including the former Ebenezer Home, Units and Manor, the program’s home base in the 1980s. When the Ebenezer board made a shift to The Gardens on Tenth, C.A.R.E. moved across town to the Buffalo complex.
Kroeker says it was a friendly transition, a win-win situation where everyone flourished.
She says the next step for the organization will see more work with individuals in their homes.
“Many are retiring quite early and are looking for meaningful work. They’ll focus on volunteer opportunities for young retirees. There’s not a lot of money in this—it’s all for the love of it. You’re gonna stay the course, because you have flexibility and you love the work.”
Looking back, she says the main focus of her work was about helping people transition as they move through a huge shift in their family life.
“We all talk about empty-nesters and the mid-life shift. This transition from a culture where we value independence so strongly. Everybody prides themselves in how much we can do for ourselves. So when you get to a place where that is no longer smart, that next shift to inter-dependence is not welcome. Everybody loves their independence.
“It’s difficult. It looks like grief, with all those steps. In that transition of the whole family, there is often discord as to how that step should look. But there are very few resources available on that topic. Now as the boomers get into that age bracket, I think it will become more talked about. I really hope there will be research so that this will be taken more seriously.”
She adds that going forward it will be vital for all the various support organizations in the community to work in partnership.
Kroeker feels she’s leaving the organization in very good hands, and says she has full confidence with the board, the staff, resource coordinator Marge Penner, and new administrator Josie Winterburn.
“I’m looking forward to rediscovering who I want to be in this season of my life. At 75 years old, I’ve been pretty much on the fast track all these years. What do I really want my life to look like now? Who do I value and what does that mean for me now?
“I’m feeling very optimistic and I’m feeling great about the future. I am on the brink of everything … I want to continue with my passions and work on the softer side of myself.”
She is grateful to the board and for their inspiration.
“They inspired me, encouraged me and focused me. And thanks to this wonderful community. I had planned to live my life in Winnipeg and ended up in Altona. And it turned out to be a pretty nice life.”
