Grandparents’ Day lands on a Sunday, Sept. 8 this year, and to celebrate, AUPE’s Women’s Committee is hosting its annual Grandparents’ Day Barbeque, an event to honour all grandparents, seniors and their support systems:
Wednesday, Sept. 4
11:30 am – 1:30 pm
Legislature Grounds – beside the bandshell
There will be music and complimentary food served from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm. All Albertans are invited to attend. Bring your family and friends.
“For seventeen years, we’ve been bringing Albertans together to honour our friends, family members and neighbours age 65 and over on this special day,” said AUPE Vice-President Susan Slade.
“Seniors are here – whether they’re the grandparent supporting their child; a dementia patient, who only remembers their first language; a coworker, three desks down; a neighbour, one door down – seniors are here, and grandparents’ day is an opportunity to celebrate all of their stories.”
According to Statistics Canada, in 2018 over 18 per cent of Albertans were age 65 and over, and the number is only increasing as the population ages.
Almost 46,000 AUPE members work in health care, many in seniors-care, supporting Albertans who need day-to-day living assistance or ongoing support for complex health issues.
“At this year’s grandparent’s day we want to carve out a little extra space for the stories of Alberta’s most vulnerable seniors,” adds Slade.
“In the face of a government who would sooner trample over the past and erase the experiences of some of Alberta’s most marginalized communities, including the elderly, we’re fighting back.
On Wednesday, we’re inviting all Albertans take up that fight with us alongside the grandparents and seniors in their lives.”