Seniors stay connected in Victoria County
BADDECK — A new initiative has Victoria County seniors using technology to stay connected to their community amid social isolation measures and it’s drawing some comparisons to an old way people used to stay in touch.
The seniors party line takes place each Monday from 1-3 p.m. through the online platform Zoom, as well as a tollfree telephone line.
Its name draws many comparisons to old phone lines that were shared by community members, allowing anyone on the same line to listen in on conversations.
“It would elicit a strong response from seniors because they all remember getting on that party line and listening for gossip and sharing the gossip,” said Cassandra Yonder, the senior safety co-ordinator for the county, about when she informed seniors of the program.
“I wanted to capture the spirit of that because I think there are people at home that just need to know they are invited somewhere, there’s something to do.”
There’s no agenda or topic to the weekly get-togethers she also described as a "tea party" over the phone. People can choose to talk or just listen.
A second online initiative called the seniors lunch takes place each Wednesday at 11 a.m. and has a bit of a more formal appeal.
Yonder said they piggybacked on a successful seniors lunch held in St. Anns Bay, where dozens and dozens of people would show up each week for lunch and to listen to a speaker.
Like all gatherings, it was cancelled because of social distancing measures so the Victoria County online initiative is trying to fill that gap.
Those sessions have been recorded and are available on the municipal website’s YouTube channel. Yonder said a library of knowledge from the lunches has been accumulating and people are searching it out.
Going forward, the programming could expand so that participants can dictate their learning. She envisions a group of seniors picking a topic and then setting out on a multi-week course with a qualified instructor leading the way.
Both programs received funding as part of the National Senior Centre Without Walls initiative and are helping Yonder achieve her mandate of getting to know the seniors in the community and any of their issues, safety or otherwise.
“That person usually acts as sort of a navigator to help a senior find the resources that can help them,” she said of her role.
“Often times it is to be a listening ear. There are only so many programs available. We just trying to connect people with the resources that might help them.”
She sees connectivity and participation as key strategies to help seniors deal with any issues that might arise during social isolation measures.
Other initiatives created to deal with COVID-19 precautions include a grocery delivery service for seniors in the county.
It’s seen over-the-phone and online payment methods set up for participating grocery stores and pharmacies and the volunteer fire department making contact-less pickup and deliveries.
In the not too distant future, Yonder hopes to pass on knowledge obtained from Legal information Services of Nova Scotia to help seniors navigate online programming around things like estate and end-of-life planning.
An education blitz is also planned around June 15 for Elder Abuse Awareness Day.