Latest news with #seniorsupport
Associated Press
5 days ago
- Business
- Associated Press
Powerhub Electrical Launches Senior Support Policy to Improve Service Access Across Sydney
Summary: Powerhub Electrical has launched a new support initiative to meet the growing needs of clients, particularly seniors with fixed incomes. Epping, New South Wales--(Newsfile Corp. - August 6, 2025) - Powerhub Electrical has introduced a senior support policy aimed at improving access to electrical services for pensioners and senior residents across Sydney. The initiative was created in response to increasing electricity costs and the need to ensure that residents on fixed incomes can access essential electrical assistance without strain. The company is expanding the program throughout Greater Sydney as part of its broader operational growth. With service areas now covering Epping, West Pennant Hills, Carlingford, Parramatta, and Ryde, the new policy is designed to make electrical support more accessible to seniors in both residential and light commercial settings. By focusing on pricing accommodations and simplified service access, the program reinforces the company's commitment to providing essential support to vulnerable members of the community. Developing the initiative involved extensive planning and research to ensure the program was tailored to the realities faced by senior residents. Powerhub Electrical conducted market analysis to better understand barriers that seniors encounter when seeking electrical assistance, with the goal of removing obstacles to reliable service. The company has emphasised that maintaining consistent service quality across all client segments was a key consideration when designing the policy. The timing of the launch is closely aligned with current challenges faced by households in New South Wales, where rising energy costs have impacted those on fixed incomes more acutely. While government rebate programs offer some relief, many pensioners continue to struggle with increased expenses, making practical and immediate support essential. The senior support policy was developed to address this gap by offering a structured, accessible approach to necessary electrical services. The policy also focuses on simplifying the process of arranging electrical work for seniors. This includes streamlining booking procedures, offering clearer upfront pricing, and ensuring that technicians are prepared to accommodate the unique needs of older clients during service calls. These measures are intended to remove logistical hurdles that can deter pensioners from seeking timely assistance. Powerhub Electrical also views the initiative as an opportunity to build stronger connections with the communities it serves. As part of this effort, the Sydney electrician is exploring partnerships with local councils and senior advocacy organisations to extend outreach and improve awareness of available support. Community engagement is expected to play a key role in refining the program and identifying additional ways to improve service accessibility for residents on fixed incomes. About Powerhub Electrical: Powerhub Electrical is based in Epping, NSW, and provides residential and light commercial electrical services across Greater Sydney. The company offers a full range of electrical solutions, including installations, repairs, maintenance, and emergency callouts. As a locally owned and operated contractor, Powerhub Electrical emphasises reliable workmanship, transparent pricing, and responsive service. Media Contact: [ This image cannot be displayed. Please visit the source: ] To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: Company Name: Powerhub Electrical Contact Person: Brian Ho Phone: 0483 983 012 Address: 22 Cambridge Street City: Epping State: NSW Postal Code: 2121 Country: AU Website: To view the source version of this press release, please visit
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
'Overwhelmed' Toronto senior nearly evicted as a result of Service Canada error with old age benefit
A Toronto senior is speaking out after she was left without her Old Age Security benefit for months because of a simple error by Service Canada that left her in a dire situation: the wrong year was allegedly entered into its system. Debbie Westfall says she applied for OAS in January, well before she turned 65 in March, because she knew she would be relying on it to get by. But many months and phone calls later, she was still without her benefit. Now, after CBC Toronto reached out to the agency, Westfall's wait is over and she says her money was deposited Friday. Still, Westfall and her case manager are speaking out because they say for someone like her, a delay in getting the benefit could be the difference between keeping a roof over her head and losing it. "I was so overwhelmed, I could never have done this on my own. I am so relieved to have money for rent and food," her case manager at the Parkdale Activity Recreation Centre told CBC News Westfall said. Getting a hold of someone at Service Canada to solve the problem wasn't easy, she says. "We phoned and phoned, and I was crying every day," she said. Service Canada says there are a number of measures in place to ensure that seniors have support through the process, but one researcher who's studied issues with OAS says the system can often be difficult to navigate. More than a dozen phone calls and hours on hold Max Kelly, an intensive case manager at Parkdale Activity Recreation Centre, worked with Westfall through the process. He says he made more than a dozen phone calls to reach Service Canada and spent hours on hold. As Westfall neared the possibility of eviction, Kelly says he managed to access an emergency bridging program with the province of Ontario. But he's extremely frustrated about how much time and effort it took to solve the problem. "It seems to highlight a basic problem-solving issue within the federal government," he said. During one of his calls, Kelly says, one agent told him someone at Service Canada had entered the year 2035 instead of 2025. And while many of the agents were sympathetic and said the situation was marked as urgent, Kelly says it wasn't rectified urgently enough. Service Canada responds After CBC News reached out to Service Canada, Kelly said he received his first call from the government agency. He says he was told Westfall's money would be put in her account within 10 business days. Westfall confirmed she received the payments she's been fighting for on Friday. Service Canada confirmed to CBC News that her application was processed on a high-priority basis. It did not respond to questions about the error Kelly was told was made on the agency's end or about the lengthy hold times they experienced in the process. It also said it's committed to ensuring that all seniors receive the benefits to which they are entitled, and a number of measures are in place to identify and assist clients in accessing them. "These measures include automatic enrolment to OAS for some clients, a dedicated Pensions Call Centre, direct outreach initiatives through partnerships with various community support organizations, a number of promotion and awareness initiatives including mail-out campaigns, and support in obtaining information or to apply for benefits at over 300 Service Canada Centres located across Canada," the agency said in a statement. John Stapleton with the National Institute on Aging has researched issues with OAS and says Westfall's case points to a larger problem. "The Old Age Security benefits are extremely complicated," he said. Stapleton says he has advocated for around 100 people who struggle with the system by reaching out to their members of Parliament or advising them to do so. He says people originally from other countries sometimes struggle with missing acceptable documentation, especially if a country has broken infrastructure. People can have difficulty engaging with the system because they struggle with technology as older adults. "This is a program that's had many Band-Aids put on it over the years. It's generally a very generous program, and it's a program that is looked up to by a lot of Canadians, but at the same time it has complexities that have been added on over the years," he said. Kelly is relieved to know that Westfall will get her benefits soon, but hopes highlighting this issue provokes change. "What's at stake is someone's well-being, health and dignity. It couldn't be more important."
CBC
30-06-2025
- General
- CBC
She says Service Canada made an error on her Old Age benefit application — the delay almost got her evicted
A Toronto senior is speaking out after she was left without her Old Age Security benefit for months because of a simple error by Service Canada that left her in a dire situation: the wrong year was allegedly entered into its system. Debbie Westfall says she applied for OAS in January, well before she turned 65 in March, because she knew she would be relying on it to get by. But many months and phone calls later, she was still without her benefit. Now, after CBC Toronto reached out to the agency, Westfall's wait is over and she says her money was deposited Friday. Still, Westfall and her case manager are speaking out because they say for someone like her, a delay in getting the benefit could be the difference between keeping a roof over her head and losing it. "I was so overwhelmed, I could never have done this on my own. I am so relieved to have money for rent and food," her case manager at the Parkdale Activity Recreation Centre told CBC News Westfall said. Getting a hold of someone at Service Canada to solve the problem wasn't easy, she says. "We phoned and phoned, and I was crying every day," she said. Service Canada says there are a number of measures in place to ensure that seniors have support through the process, but one researcher who's studied issues with OAS says the system can often be difficult to navigate. More than a dozen phone calls and hours on hold Max Kelly, an intensive case manager at Parkdale Activity Recreation Centre, worked with Westfall through the process. He says he made more than a dozen phone calls to reach Service Canada and spent hours on hold. As Westfall neared the possibility of eviction, Kelly says he managed to access an emergency bridging program with the province of Ontario. But he's extremely frustrated about how much time and effort it took to solve the problem. "It seems to highlight a basic problem-solving issue within the federal government," he said. During one of his calls, Kelly says, one agent told him someone at Service Canada had entered the year 2035 instead of 2025. And while many of the agents were sympathetic and said the situation was marked as urgent, Kelly says it wasn't rectified urgently enough. Service Canada responds After CBC News reached out to Service Canada, Kelly said he received his first call from the government agency. He says he was told Westfall's money would be put in her account within 10 business days. Westfall confirmed she received the payments she's been fighting for on Friday. Service Canada confirmed to CBC News that her application was processed on a high-priority basis. It did not respond to questions about the error Kelly was told was made on the agency's end or about the lengthy hold times they experienced in the process. It also said it's committed to ensuring that all seniors receive the benefits to which they are entitled, and a number of measures are in place to identify and assist clients in accessing them. "These measures include automatic enrolment to OAS for some clients, a dedicated Pensions Call Centre, direct outreach initiatives through partnerships with various community support organizations, a number of promotion and awareness initiatives including mail-out campaigns, and support in obtaining information or to apply for benefits at over 300 Service Canada Centres located across Canada," the agency said in a statement. John Stapleton with the National Institute on Aging has researched issues with OAS and says Westfall's case points to a larger problem. "The Old Age Security benefits are extremely complicated," he said. Stapleton says he has advocated for around 100 people who struggle with the system by reaching out to their members of Parliament or advising them to do so. He says people originally from other countries sometimes struggle with missing acceptable documentation, especially if a country has broken infrastructure. People can have difficulty engaging with the system because they struggle with technology as older adults. "This is a program that's had many Band-Aids put on it over the years. It's generally a very generous program, and it's a program that is looked up to by a lot of Canadians, but at the same time it has complexities that have been added on over the years," he said. Kelly is relieved to know that Westfall will get her benefits soon, but hopes highlighting this issue provokes change.
CBS News
25-06-2025
- General
- CBS News
About 200 seniors on waitlist for farmers market vouchers in Allegheny County
About 200 seniors on waitlist for farmers market vouchers in Allegheny County About 200 seniors on waitlist for farmers market vouchers in Allegheny County About 200 seniors on waitlist for farmers market vouchers in Allegheny County About 200 seniors are on a waitlist for the Farmers Market Nutrition Program in Allegheny County. On Tuesday, hundreds of seniors received vouchers while hundreds of others were turned away. Several senior centers ran out of vouchers on Tuesday, including the Allentown Senior Citizen Center, where Dolores Stromberg volunteers. "You can't go nowhere else to get anything. They're done," Stromberg said. The state received 18,000 vouchers this year compared to 22,000 last year due to federal cuts. The voucher amount was also reduced. "Fifty dollars got us through most of the summer with vegetables, $25 is not even going to get us halfway through," Stromberg said. According to the Allegheny County Area Agency on Aging, there are 2,000 sets of vouchers that remain. A spokesperson wrote in part, "We will promptly be distributing them to all the seniors who submit a waitlist application as well as to any older adults who submit an application because they were not available to attend the in-person distribution." "Next year, I hope that everybody gets vouchers, everybody gets what they deserve because people are earning it, people worked for it, people deserve it," Stromberg said. "Do you think the voucher amount should go up?" KDKA-TV's Mamie Bah asked Stromberg "Yes I do, yes I do. Shame on them, shame on them, that's all I gotta say," Stromberg said. The deadline to submit your waitlist application is Sept. 15. The last vouchers go out at the end of that month.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
The good news: Meal delivery frequency for homebound York County seniors triples. The bad news?
YORK COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) — Every Monday, Tom Goebeler loads his car with enough prepared meal trays to feed about 14 or 15 homebound seniors for the week. He's been doing this for about a decade, long enough to remember when — back before the COVID-19 pandemic — deliveries were three times a week, meaning no need to freeze and defrost as much food plus an important benefit that has nothing to do with food. 'We're made to be alert to any medical or perhaps even a mental issue that someone might be having,' said Goebeler, who is retired and spends about an hour and a half each week delivering meals. He recalls one woman who looked to be home but didn't answer the door no matter how many times he knocked, rang or yelled. He called the senior center, where leaders were able to confirm the woman was home, based on the location of her phone. They called EMTs to check on the woman. 'She dropped her phone behind the bed, got down to get it, couldn't reach it and couldn't get up,' Goebeler said. They helped her up, and she was fine, thanks partly to the visit. Well good news: Starting July 1, meal delivery in York County will once again rise to three times a week. 'So we're going to be doing Monday, Wednesday, Friday, which also makes us then have to increase the number of volunteers that we have,' said Jenna Lawrence, executive director of the Windy Hill on the Campus senior center in Spring Grove. In other words: They need a lot more Tom Goebelers — people with cars and driver's licenses and time (including, for people who aren't retired, time at work to volunteer provided by some large companies), and not even a lot of time: just those 90-or-so minutes, and 'it could be once a week,' Lawrence said. 'It could be once a month.' They're happy to have more help Mondays, 'but Wednesday and Friday are the main focus right now,' Lawrence said. If you or someone you know is interested in helping, contact the county's Area Agency on Aging at 717-771-9610 or call your local senior center; 10 of the county's 14 senior centers participate in the home-delivered meals program. 'These people really truly rely on these meals,' which are provided free to the people who get them, Lawrence said. 'They don't have transportation to get to the grocery store. This is the only meal they're receiving.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
