REACHING OUT
Centre plans video conference to help people cope with the pandemic
(The aim is to) identify opportunities and generate concrete plans to address the needs of both ends of the continuum, from the well to the frail elderly, while responding to current challenges.
Far be it from me to tell fellow seniors how to spend their money.
But not that far. Here's a tip on an excellent $25 Christmas present you can give yourself: The Cummings Centre, a Golden Age facility in Montreal, will play host to a Jan. 21 “virtual conference” geared to seniors.
The aim is to “identify opportunities and generate concrete plans to address the needs of both ends of the continuum, from the well to the frail elderly, while responding to current challenges.”
I'm at the front end of the continuum. But like everyone else in the world, I'm dealing with current challenges, including home confinement (except for dog-walking) and waiting (and praying) for a vaccine.
In a news release announcing the conference, Annette Oliel, president of the Cummings Centre, writes: “The impact of COVID-19 has made the challenges older adults face even more urgent.
“The need for conversation that would result in a roadmap for navigating an uncertain future has become a community priority.” The priority is particularly urgent in Montreal, a city that has been hammered by the pandemic. But learning to cope is a skill that's useful from coast to coast.
I had a phone chat with Laya Feldman, the conference chairperson. After pleasantries about our similar leftish political backgrounds, I told Feldman about my late mother's involvement with the Cummings Centre, where she was a cashier in the cafeteria.
A bit of background on the Cummings Centre: It serves Montrealers aged 50-plus and has 900 volunteers serving a clientele of 10,000.
As a mandate of her presidency, Oliel sought to improve the visibility of the Cummings Centre.
“We talked at first about a general type of conference that would be taking place in May 2021,” Feldman said. “But then the pandemic broke.
“We realized very quickly that things couldn't go on as usual, and there was a very specific need to address issues of concern that were affecting the senior population.”
COVID-19 meant a change of focus — and also a change of format. A virtual conference was deemed to be “highly innovative” with the potential to attract a far-flung population. To do so, the Cummings Centre will be reaching out to seniors facilities across Canada.
I'm keen to help. The winter of COVID-19 is going to be tough sledding for everyone, particularly us seniors.
The organizers have lined up an impressive list of speakers for workshops that Feldman says will tackle “isolation, loneliness, the new world we have to deal with in medicine and staying safe in your home.”
Because the conference will occur online, rather than at the seniors' centre, organizers were able to line up speakers Feldman describes as “the very best people who could speak to these topics.”
The conference will begin with three lecturers — David Elcott, with Stuart Himmelfarb and Rabbi Laura Geller, co-authors of After Corona: A Boomer Game Plan. Their topic, to launch the conference, is The New Reality.
That will be followed by workshops including:
■ The impact of isolation and counteracting loneliness, led by Dr. Sue Varma, a psychiatrist and professor at New York University.
■ Aging in Place: The Digital Future in which seniors will deal with new realities such as telemedicine and the technological advancements that help seniors maintain independence in their homes.
■ Dr. Daniel Levitan, an acclaimed neuroscientist and musician will speak on the benefits of music and arts for seniors.
■ Intergenerational Relationships will be presented by Sharon McKenzie, who has striven to bring youth and older adults together to create mutually beneficial activities.
Each workshop will include roundtable discussions, involving online participants who have registered for the conference.
Again, I'm not telling my fellow seniors how to spend 25 bucks. But this looks like a very worthwhile investment.
For more info and to register for the conference, email susan.rozansky@cummingscentre.org or phone 514-734-1820.
We realized very quickly that things couldn't go on as usual, and there was a very specific need to address issues … affecting the senior population.