In this post I look at how charities help senior deal with loneliness and isolation..
Loneliness is a quiet crisis. Charities are building the infrastructure
to address it.
Friendly visiting and phone programs connect isolated seniors
with trained volunteers for regular check-ins. In Edmonton, the Stocking Stuffers
for Seniors program, run through the Operation Friendship Seniors Society, has grown
from helping 40 low-income seniors in 2015 to supporting approximately 6,000 seniors
annually across the Greater Edmonton Area .
We, at Wilson Seniors have free birthday parties every two months for our members. Guests pay a nominal fee, we have a band and birthday cake. Usually over 100 people attend.
Adult day programs provide structure, social connection, and
respite for caregivers. The Saint Margaret Day Centre in Montreal offers a Virtual
Inclusion Program where homebound seniors receive an iPad and join real-time activities
remotely, alongside an In-Home Stimulation Project that brings cognitive games and
social discussion directly to those who cannot attend in person . At the County
Seniors' Centre in Prince Edward County, engagement nearly doubled compared to the
previous year, 622 people taking part in 440 in-person and online events .
Dementia and Alzheimer's support includes caregiver respite, memory cafes, and specialized navigation resources. Ond of our progrqams is a caregivers program for caregivers of loved ones with Dementa so the caregivers can get some resptie and a chance to meet with others.As part of that program we run a monthly Musical Cafe for Dementia patients and their caregivers.One family member of a 95-year-old participant described how her father comes home from the Centre "energized and excited to share the experience" .
