Year-long community project targets seniors in the Massawippi Valley

Seniors living in municipalities within the Massawippi Valley are receiving much-needed technology training, as well as regular phone calls and walks with volunteers, thanks to the Massawippi Valley Health Centre and the Massawippi Valley Foundation.

Dian Cohen, president of the Massawippi Valley Foundation, said the two organizations partnered in an effort to connect seniors and get them more involved in the community. The foundation received two federal grants to fund a variety of activities.

The grants helped get two projects off the ground, with the first project kicking off just over a month ago. The focus is on teaching seniors how to use laptops and tablets and helping them connect with friends and family.

“That [first] project started at the end of February, beginning of March, and we now have more than 30 people registered to take computer courses and we have another 10 in the wings for a second group,” said Cohen.

They received a combined $53,300 from the federal government grants, allowing them to purchase a desktop, which will be used to set up a help desk, several laptops, and tablets, including 10 ipads that residents can rent if they don’t have their own equipment at home.

And they have a fleet of volunteers, nearly 20 people, according to Cohen, who are calling seniors to promote the computer courses. The volunteers are also reaching out to seniors who have expressed loneliness throughout the pandemic.

Some seniors have also shown interest in going outside for walks, Cohen explained, but they need a helping hand to get around. While others have told the foundation president that they simply don’t understand how to use their tablet or laptop.

“What we’re going to do is we’re going to phone those people and teach them enough that they can get on a Zoom call,” said Cohen.

The foundation also hired a Toronto-based company, Cyber Seniors, to run the tablet and laptop lessons, which will begin next week, according to Cohen, adding that the foundation is also in talks with the Bishop’s University’s Lifelong Learning Academy (BULLA).

While the first project has a strong focus on technology, with the second grant, from New Horizons, the two organizations want to offer workshops and seminars. It will be beneficial to take advantage of the computer courses, however, as all of the workshops and seminars will be held virtually.

Cohen plans on running a fourweek workshop on financial planning. She hopes to start in June, and she already has four people signed up to her workshop. The pandemic is still here, and people are realizing it isn’t going away anytime soon, Cohen explained.

Carol Mooney is the head of the volunteer group currently reaching out to seniors. She said they have called over 100 people in the last month, with most of them eager to sign up for computer lessons, or simply happy to hear from a friendly voice.

“We’ve talked to at least 10 people that are over 90 years old living in their homes and what’s amazing for us is the determination to stay in their homes,” said Mooney.

They want to be self-sufficient at home, she continued, and what they noticed throughout this past year is that the community, their neighbourhood, stepped up to help with, for example, helping to buy them groceries.

“We’re seeing resilience, too, we’re seeing a little bit of anxiety, but at the same time people are saying they have become more connected to their neighbourhoods than ever before because of Covid,” said Mooney.

Mooney added that she will also be participating in the computer lessons. There will be about 25 people on the Zoom call, and she wants to be able to help people practice. Her idea is to send messages to people, testing them on how to open attachments and reply to emails.

According to Mooney, of the 100 people contacted by her volunteers, 25 have internet and their own device, an additional 12 will receive loaner tablets, and between 16 to 20 people said they would prefer to have a walk and a chat. Not everyone is keen on new technology, yet.

“Number-wise it’s hard to judge, we definitely have some that say ‘I’m too old’, but others, we’ve got an 88 year old and a 90 year old who are learning for the first time so we’ve got a few who are saying ‘yeah, I need to try to learn this thing’,” said Mooney.

HODGE:

Brother, Ernie, April 18, 2012. Mom, Edythe, May 6, 2015.

Dad, Raymond, May 23, 2019. May the winds of love blow gently And whisper so you hear,

How much we love and miss you And wish you all were here.

With love forever RUTH & ROBERT AMY, DAVE & ARIELLE ASHLEY & JAMES