You (Yes, You!) Are
Making a Difference!
Amanda Shaw | Director of Marketing, ARTA
Did you know? As a member of ARTA, a small
portion of your $25 annual membership fee goes
to support the Alberta Retired Teachers Charitable
Foundation. ARTA, through the foundation, helps
Alberta seniors fi nd appropriate housing and health
services and provides support for seniors where
English is not their mother tongue.
We are entering the ‘giving’ season when
donations to charitable organizations increase
as the holidays approach merrily and tax season
looms. All personal donations to the
foundation made by individuals are used to
assist seniors. Operating costs of the foundation
are absorbed by ARTA, so each donation makes a
huge diff erence! The foundation selects projects
and organizations that specifi cally target seniors in
Alberta. A donation to the foundation means you’re
not just helping other seniors and retirees in Alberta
— you’re helping yourself too! To make a donation,
visit artcf.ca/give-online.
We are excited to share two recent success stories
from the foundation’s contributions. The foundation
looks forward to future donations that will enable
organizations to provide critical support for seniors
living in Alberta. ●
661,848! From east to west and north to south,
that is how many square kilometres make up Alberta.
In that 661,848 km 2 there are over ten thousand
people living with Parkinson’s disease and tens
of thousands more aff ected by it. The Parkinson
Association of Alberta (PAA) is dedicated to
ensuring that not a single one of those individuals
has to face Parkinson’s alone; it is quite a task, as it
is truly a lot of ground to cover.
We off er a wide variety of programs and services
across the province designed to give Albertans the
opportunity to connect with peers, neurologists,
researchers, other health professionals, and experts
in a variety of fi elds. From support groups to
educational presentations to social gatherings, these
connections contribute to a better day-to-day life
for those with Parkinson’s disease. And for those
Albertans who cannot physically attend in-person
off erings, the Parkinson Association of Alberta
off ers a multi-faceted approach that includes
telephone and online options so that no matter
where a person lives in the province, they can
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connect to the help and support they need.
These off erings include PAA’s Alberta
Retired Teachers Charitable Foundation
Tele-Support Groups. With the generous
support of the Alberta Retired Teachers Charitable
Foundation, PAA is pleased to off er three monthly
tele-support groups: one for people living with
and aff ected by Parkinson’s disease, one for people
living with and aff ected by a Parkinson’s Plus
Syndrome (PSP, MSA, CBD, or LBD), and one
exclusively for Care Partners.
Earlier this year, postcards highlighting this
unique service were created and shared with
Primary Care Networks across Alberta and into the
Northwest Territories and Yukon where support
services are limited. And PAA’s Client Services
Manager has been reaching out to each stakeholder
personally to discuss the benefi ts of in-person and
tele-support groups in order to strengthen the
network of support.