WELLINGTON COUNTY – To recognize Seniors Month this year, the Waterloo Wellington Older Adult Strategy (WWOAS) is celebrating the work of older adults who have shaped local communities through active family lives, careers and community volunteering.
Older adults continue to share their skills and knowledge in many ways, including in the workplace and through volunteering.
The core volunteer communities are older adults and in both the volunteer setting and workplace, they continually mentor and have a valuable role in guiding the next generation.
Janet Johnson volunteers for the Mount Forest health team’s community garden project, a garden to be enjoyed by all ages and levels of accessibility. It aims to encourage older adults to come out and volunteer, get into nature and reduce social isolation.
“This is what I meant by getting down in the trenches where we can inform seniors and the community, and they will take the message out to their community of friends. I see it as a ripple effect,” said Johnson.
Similar to Johnson, many older adults living in the region contribute their time and expertise to WWOAS, actively participating and impacting change as members of the WWOAS Community Members Network.
The network meets monthly to advise and inform the strategy and health service partners on the health care and social needs of older adults. The members actively assist in improving health service transformation with a focus on developing an age friendly community, officials say.
Last year, the WWOAS network developed tools and a workshop to help older adults make the most of their medical appointments. The workshop teaches skills that older adults and caregivers can apply in any health care conversation.
Both continue to be offered and available to older adults and communities across the region.
Currently, as part of the WWOAS and with New Horizon funding, local older adults, along with health and social service providers, are co-designing a calendar that focuses on the prevention of scams and fraud.
“As a senior, with many years’ experience, it would be easy to think no one wants to hear what I think,” said Kay Ayres.
“Being a part of a group, talking about scams and fraud for seniors, they actually wanted to hear what I thought.”
Ayres added, “[It was] so much fun to be able to bring forward my thoughts, share my years of experience, and be recognized for it.
“If everyone reading this calendar gets just a little bit of good from it, it was all worth the time and energy spent to organize.”
The calendar will be available this fall. If you are interested in attending a workshop or would like to receive a calendar, contact a local Older Adult Community Centre.
“These are just a few highlights of the work older adults have been doing in our community,” officials say.
“But look around, and you will find them sharing their wisdom and experience across the region, formally and informally, every day.
“This Seniors Month we celebrate and thank all older adults in our community for the outstanding contributions they continue to share.”
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Christine Platt is a geriatric systems implementation facilitator with WWAOS.