Alberta Retired Teachers
Charitable Foundation News
Gordon Cumming | Chair, ARTCF
Greetings from
your foundation.
We’re pleased to be able to
report our continued efforts on
your behalf to support partnering
with organizations that make a
difference in the lives of Alberta
seniors. This year with ARTA’s
largesse, and donations from
members and corporate friends,
we have budgeted $70,000
to be dispersed to selected
partnerships. Perhaps more
significantly, ARTCF prides itself
on its low operating costs — over
ninety-five per cent of donations
directly impact and assist seniors
in Alberta.
As directors of the foundation,
the most pleasant task we have is
to hear stories of success that are
regularly shared with us by our
partners. Last year, Alberta CNIB
outlined the following need to us.
The population of Albertans
sixty-five and older is expected
to double in the next twenty-
five years. In addition, there is
a growing incidence of the key
underlying causes of vision loss,
such as obesity and diabetes.
Without action, the number
of people with sight problems
in Alberta is likely to increase
dramatically. Meanwhile, a
severe capacity shortage in
ophthalmology is predicted,
with older doctors retiring
and an insufficient number
of new graduates to meet the
increasing demand of the aging
population. Few people realize
that seventy-five per cent of
vision loss can be treated or
prevented. But without the
vision health information they
need, thousands of Albertans
unknowingly live with eye
disease and may needlessly lose
their vision.
For those aged sixty-five or
older, age-related macular
degeneration (AMD) is
the leading cause of vision
loss in Alberta. The senior
population is also at a higher
risk of developing diabetic
retinopathy, glaucoma,
cataracts, and refractive
error. People with vision loss,
especially the elderly, face
a greater risk of isolation,
mobility issues such as falls
causing injury, and are three
times more likely to develop
clinical depression.
The need for information and
education was very apparent
and they asked us to help support
their Community Education
and Outreach Program. The
goal was to recruit volunteers
throughout the province and
train them as presenters.
Now, a year later, as we
are moving to evaluate our
participation in this program,
we are pleased to share the
following anecdote from Mandy
Smallwood of the CNIB staff and
the impact this program had on
one particular individual:
This past March, we set up
a public education booth and
gave a community education
presentation to residents of
a retirement lodge in rural
news&views AUTUMN 2019 | 47