Services for seniors

New initiative brings programming to local community centres

Last year, a project undertaken by the Prince Edward County Community Care for Seniors Association recognized that social isolation among seniors was a growing problem. The County has the second highest percentage of seniors in Ontario, and many of them find it difficult to attend recreational, social or cultural events in the larger centres such as Wellington or Picton due to lack of available transportation. On Thursday, the Association announced the establishment of The County Seniors Centre to offer services to senior residents in the community where they live. “Our vision was not bricks and mortar, but rather a mobile, virtual centre,” said Barb Proctor, chair of the Association. “The project will provide programs promoting healthy aging with close access for all County seniors. [It] also enhances the County goal for an agefriendly community. The newly launched program will offer a greater range of social, cultural and recreational activities in halls across the County.”

Debbie MacDonald Moynes speaks about the services that will be offered by The County Seniors Centre at the nine community centres across the County.

The new County Seniors Centre will coordinate activities and programs across the nine community halls in the County, providing opportunities for seniors to access these services right in their neighbourhoods instead of having to travel. MPP Todd Smith, Minister of Government and Consumer Services, was present at the announcement on behalf of the provincial government, representing Raymond Cho, Minister of Seniors and Accessibility. “I know that Community Care for Seniors is an outstanding organization in the County, when we think of all of the hours volunteers put in making sure that the seniors in our large community get the services they need,” said Smith. “To be able to provide these services in nine different hubs across the County means it’s going to be happening closer to where the seniors live and make it more accessible.”

Acting Mayor David Harrison brought a message from the County. “Social isolation is a growing problem. Thankfully, The County Seniors Centre will help address this issue by offering services closer to where the citizens live,” he said. “For so many years these halls have fostered a real sense of community, located in the heart of the community where we gather. I’m so happy to see that programs available to seniors are expanding and reaching new areas in the County so that even more people have easy access.”

The new project is an expansion of the mandate of the Association. “We didn’t have a lot of social or recreational programming. That was not the mandate of Community Care for Seniors,” said executive director Debbie MacDonald Moynes. “We’re more into Meals on Wheels, transportation, foot care, those kinds of supports for seniors. Last year, we established a relationship with non-traditional partners such police, fire, EMS, the library, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers. We found through that project that seniors were interested in this kind of programming. We’re looking at fitness for seniors, yoga, things such as having a master gardener speak, writing your memoirs.” Moynes stresses they are not seeking to duplicate any services offered by other organizations, but rather to bring in services where they did not exist before.

This project is partly funded by the provincial government, but was contingent upon obtaining a commitment from council to cover 20 per cent of the cost. Council gave its approval late in 2017, and the Association applied for the provincial grant, with the funding being released on July 23. These contributions do not cover the full cost of the program. The shortfall will be made up from fundraising, donations and an annual membership fee of $25 for users. Programs to be offered include Tai Chi, meditation, yoga, card games, pickle ball and cooking lessons. For more information and a full list of programs, please visit communitycareforseniors. org.