Seniors need an advocate

April 4, 2012Re: "Senior evicted from apartment; Housing society gives 81-year-old 2 weeks notice for breaking rules," the Journal, March 30.Thank you to Carol Wodak for taking the side of Eva Makowichuk, who was threatened with eviction from the government-owned Ukrainian Dnipro Senior Citizens Home.There are 19 provincial departments that have something to do with seniors' matters. One can imagine how difficult it would be for a senior in distress to try to navigate through that maze.For nearly a decade, Alberta seniors' groups have been trying to get the government to establish an independent seniors' advocate.Seniors Minister George VanderBurg is on record as saying, "The last thing we want is an independent seniors' advocate as an officer of the legislative assembly.Those guys create their own little fiefdoms, and we can't control them."Conservative Leader Alison Redford should establish an independent seniors advocate. Seniors should vote for a party that supports such an advocate.By Dr. Brian Staples, past chair, Seniors' Action and Liaison Team and member of Public Interest Alberta's Seniors Task Force, EdmontonThis letter to the editor was published in the Edmonton Journal on April 4, 2012. Read the full letter on the Edmonton Journal website.