CSA Goes International; Certified Senior Advisor Designation Now Offered in Canada

DENVER, CO – The fastest growing senior advisor organization in the United States has now become the fastest growing senior advisor organization in North America, according to Edwin J. Pittock, founder and president of the Society of Certified Senior Advisors.  The Canadian Academy of Senior Advisors (CASA), the first international licensee of the Denver-based society, is now offering the sought-after Certified Senior Advisor (CSA) designation from its corporate headquarters in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

The Society of Certified Senior Advisors is America’s oldest and largest organization specializing in training senior advisors and granting a professional designation upon the successful completion of a prescribed course of study and comprehensive exam.  Since the society was formed in 1996, it has enrolled more than 14,000 professionals, advancing the society and the CSA designation to elite status among organizations which train senior advisors.

“The team of experts that will guide and manage the development of the CSA designation in Canada is without peer,” Pittock observed.  “We knew the formation of the Canadian Academy of Senior Advisors would require leadership and experience of the highest level, and we were fortunate enough to find those superior qualities and more in Dr. John Crawford, Rhonda Latreille and John Ostaf, three outstanding professionals with a unique understanding of both the nation of Canada and the special needs of seniors.”

• Dr. John Crawford obtained his PhD in Geriatric Medicine from the University of Manchester, England and has 30 years of experience teaching gerontology in universities throughout Canada and Great Britain.  Dr. Crawford was awarded the Queen Elizabeth Silver Jubilee Medal for services to the elderly and disabled in Canada.
• Rhonda Latreille holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of British Columbia and an MBA in International Business from Asia Pacific International Graduate School.  She has 25 years of experience in program development, consultation and training.
• John Ostaf is a highly successful entrepreneur who has established and managed a variety of profitable businesses in Canada over a 30-year period and brings exceptional marketing expertise and an in-depth understanding of senior aging issues to the development of CASA.

“The goals and methodology of the Canadian Academy of Senior Advisors will be identical to those of the U.S. society," Pittock said.  “The Canadian academy is committed to preserving the integrity of the established curriculum that has proven to be so successful for the Society of Certified Senior Advisors over the past seven years in the U.S.  The same text book and training materials will be used with supplemental data added that is particularly relevant to the Canadian market,” he noted, “and the academy is establishing a Canadian CSA Board of Standards that will mirror the work of the CSA Board of Standards in the U.S.”

CSA classes cover the primary aging issues that a majority of seniors will experience, including Alzheimer’s, dementia, chronic illness, finances, housing, long-term care, insurance investments, recreation, spirituality and ethical standards for advisors who work with seniors.  Initial CSA classes in Canada are scheduled for December 10-13, 2003 in Vancouver, and February 18-21 in Toronto.  The Canadian version of the CSA correspondence course will be available to applicants in late December, 2003.

For additional information, contact Rhonda Latreille at 877-272-7575 or visit the Canadian Academy of Senior Advisors website at www.certifiedsenioradvisors.ca.