Community Partners

BC Association of Community Response Networks

BC CRN helps vulnerable adults experiencing abuse, neglect, and self-neglect through local networks of service providers, volunteers, government, seniors’ groups, lawyers, doctors, and more in the community, who help provide a coordinated response.

BC CRN refers adults to Nidus who need help with planning for future incapacity, or who need help now with making decisions and/or managing their affairs.

Nidus & BC CRN believe that adults deserve to live in safe communities where they are valued and respected, and envision a future where all adults in BC have access to support if they need help.

BC CRN is a provincial organization funded by the BC Ministry of Health; 86 Community Response Networks operate throughout 262 communities in BC.

For more about BC CRN, visit www.bccrns.ca.

Featured in Nidus’ November 2023 Newsletter.

Plan Institute

Plan Institute works to inform people about what having a disability can mean for them or people they’re supporting and connecting them with the right help, guidance, and resources to get individuals on the right track, often partnering with and referring to other organizations.

We talked to Liss Cairns, Program Manager at Plan Institute, about how Nidus’ resources have positively impacted their organization and the people they serve: 

Liss: Nidus has always been a fantastic resource, with expert knowledge and information shared on the Representation Agreements and other legal planning tools. We’ve used Nidus resources and information and the Nidus Registry most through our free national disability planning helpline service, where people can reach out to get support understanding their options and next steps on topics such as the Disability Tax Credit (DTC), Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP), wills, trusts, personal support networks, advocacy, and so much more.

I love the way that Nidus has been updating the website because it’s really easy to navigate and very informative for the people we support and our team. We often refer people to Nidus directly alongside using the resources and information ourselves in order to have the most updated and accurate information around supported decision making and legal rights/responsibilities. We’ve had a team training session facilitated by Nidus on Representation Agreements and Enduring Powers of Attorney, and frequently download and make use of Nidus’s fact sheets and other resources.

There are a lot of tangible ways that the information is used to help people and our team, as well as the people we support, are thankful that Nidus continues to offer valuable, informative, and clear help and knowledge. It’s amazing to know that Nidus exists and is committed to empowering people to make the best decisions for themselves through education, support, and navigation.

COSCO – Seniors’ Health & Wellness Institute

COSCO is an umbrella organization made up of seniors’ organizations and individual associate members. COSCO represents approximately 80,000 seniors in BC. COSCO aims to promote the well-being of seniors and their families, advocating for policies that allow seniors to remain active, independent, and fully engaged.

The Seniors’ Health & Wellness Institute-COSCO has a separate Board and mandate to provide both in-person and online free workshops about good health and better living for seniors in BC.

We spoke with Barb Mikulec, COSCO’s Vice-President, and President & Chair of Seniors’ Health & Wellness Institute-COSCO and Sylvia Helmer, Facilitator, Mentor, and Data/Report Coordinator, about their organizations’ initiatives and how Nidus’ resources and the Nidus Registry positively impact their work and the seniors they serve:

Sylvia: If you want more information in a layperson’s language to help you understand, go to nidus.ca is my recommendation. When I’m assisting seniors, I share handouts from Nidus on Personal Planning – particularly the compare/contrast chart for Representation Agreements and Enduring Powers of Attorney. It’s very convenient and helpful. Nidus puts legal things into more accessible terminology for people who are new to it. This is particularly true when working with senior groups who have a different home language. It’s hard enough for English speakers to learn the legal language and the right things to say, not to mention somebody who doesn’t have English as their first language. Nidus, in particular, is very good at condensing and coming up with – here’s a few key things you need to remember.

Having the Nidus Registry as an example, as a place to store things online, this has been the go-to for all the groups, especially what I would call ‘newcomer groups’. We say, there is a way that you can have copies of documents safe. I remember my lawyer said to me, you may want to register your legal documents on the Nidus Registry. The Nidus Registry is great for facilitating secure access with your representative, as opposed to reported difficulties with representatives getting access to safety deposit boxes.

Barb: I’m very proud of that connection with Nidus. It is an opportunity for people to explore further, to store documents or to find more information. Nidus is user-friendly. And if we can help elders to put their documents in order, it gives them peace of mind.

What exciting things are you working on that we can share with our audience?

Barb: What we’re doing is a series of workshops, every week, people log in by Zoom to our series, so we can present to a larger group of people in the comfort of their homes. Planned series events such as this are advertised widely; registration is from our website.

In February/ March, we are having an online webinar series every Wednesday – a “Seniors Institute Safety Series“. We get huge numbers of people from wherever they live, or several people gathered together around a big screen at a community centre. We are reaching so many people, and this is where the link with Nidus comes in when the topic is personal planning.

Another asset is that the Institute has a presenter who is fluent in Cantonese, and we will be able to offer various sessions in Cantonese, which is an incredibly complex process — we’re very excited to reach groups in person and via Zoom. Our brochure is attached.

Nidus is honored to partner with the Seniors’ Health and Wellness Institute Society (COSCO) in supporting seniors and in ensuring that personal planning is accessible to everyone.

For more information about COSCO and Seniors Health and Wellness Institute-COSCO, visit https://coscobc.org and https://seniorshelpingseniors.ca/

Featured in Nidus’ February 2024 Newsletter.

Memorial Society of BC

The Memorial Society of British Columbia is a non-profit organization formed over 55 years ago to help its members to plan funerals that are simple, dignified and affordable.

Could you briefly introduce the Memorial Society of BC to our readership who may not be familiar?

Peter: The Memorial Society of British Columbia is a non-profit organization. For over 65 years, we’ve been helping people access affordable, simple, and dignified funerals. We enter into partnerships with independent funeral providers in BC. Our members are then eligible for a discount on funeral services when using one of our contracted funeral providers.

We also have a member support team, which provides knowledgeable and compassionate support to our members and their families. Our members also have access to an online account where they can store their vital statistics and arrangement information. This includes everything from the funeral industry and community resources to greener funeral options and other important end-of-life issues.

How has the Memorial Society of BC used Nidus resources, materials, and the Nidus Registry to benefit your membership? 

Peter: Nidus is a phenomenal resource on Representation Agreements. One of the key offerings of Nidus is the Nidus Registry as a centralized place, to host or store their documents. We do experience occasions where a family will call us upon the death of a member, and they’re not clear where the member has stored their will or arrangement information regarding their wishes for their funeral. It’s important that our members give thought to how best to ensure that upon their death, that information is readily accessible to their loved ones and those managing their estate.

What exciting projects or initiatives is the Memorial Society of BC currently working on that you think would benefit or interest our audience?

Peter: We’re wishing to broaden our membership base. In the next year or two, we’re looking at engaging with diverse cultural communities throughout BC through targeted outreach and relationship building. We’re also looking to contract with additional independent funeral providers to offer more options for members in parts of the province which are currently being underserved.

For more information about the Memorial Society of BC, visit their website at: https://memorialsocietybc.org/ or call their office at 1-888-816-5902.

Featured in Nidus’ March 2024 Newsletter.