Mary-Ann and Glen have connected thanks to the Safe Seniors, Strong Communities initiative.
Don’t let the distance fool you, Kelowna residents Mary-Ann and Glen are becoming fast friends. That’s one of the silver linings of the COVID-19 pandemic – newfound connections and appreciation.
“The first time I met Glen, he looked me straight in the eyes and there was a connection there,” says Mary-Ann. “It hit me really hard that we don’t do that anymore, there isn’t that eye contact and that true connection.”
Social distancing to prevent the spread of the virus has meant seniors living independently with the help of family and friends like 91-year-old Glen, award-winning photographer and former pilot, are facing special challenges from social isolation to mental and physical health issues among others.
Thanks to thousands of volunteers across B.C. like Mary-Ann and organizations like United Way Better at Home COVID Emergency Response HUB agency, Seniors Outreach & Resource Centre, which serves the Central Okanagan, Shuswap and Revelstoke regions, seniors are staying connected, active and engaged.
New challenges lead to new ways of working
“The advantage of having so many challenges thrown our way in a relatively short period of time was that our team was rewarded with opportunities for learning, growth, and collaboration,” says Andrea Tomlinson, Linked Together Program Coordinator at the Seniors Outreach & Resource Centre. This is local love in action and it’s happening across the province.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has led to deepened vulnerabilities amongst seniors which requires innovation and nimbleness as a response,” says Kahir Lalji, Provincial Director, Population Health, United Way British Columbia. “Seniors and seniors-serving organizations haven’t missed a beat. We’ve all adapted and are finding new ways to help seniors stay socially connected while maintaining the safety standards needed to ensure older adults are protected.”
bc211 connects
Since March 26, over 90,000 services have been delivered to seniors thanks to the Safe Seniors, Strong Communities initiative. The province-wide program, a partnership between United Way British Columbia and the BC government, means seniors 65 and older can request volunteer help with grocery shopping, prepared meal delivery and prescription pick-up or receive a friendly check-in call by simply dialing 2-1-1 or filling in an online form.
For Glen, that means receiving prepared meals from a local bakery. “It’s been excellent,” he says. He’s also been able to share his passion for photography with Mary-Ann who has become a big fan.
“Glen became a pilot so he could take better aerial shots. His work graces the lobby of his apartment building and he’s received many awards,” says Mary-Ann. “He’s shown me a number of his photos including his first ever photo taken when he was 17. It was a black and white of Queen Elizabeth II arriving in Vancouver!”
Under normal circumstances, Better at Home agencies provide almost 186,000 services per year.
A province-wide team at work
Weekly province-wide Zoom meetings helped community-based seniors serving organizations and Healthy Aging by United Way address issues affecting seniors during Phase 1 of the COVID pandemic.
Keeping seniors safe and connected has seen the B.C. Community-Based Seniors Services Sector step forward in a big way during COVID-19. Across the province Better at Home agencies, including 24 Emergency COVID Response agencies and numerous community-based seniors organizations worked tirelessly whether that was training volunteers virtually, driving hundreds of kilometres to deliver groceries in rural Vancouver Island and northern BC or hosting online exercise classes to help home-bound seniors stay fit.
“Within two short weeks, we had the Safe Seniors, Strong Communities initiative up and running,” says Kahir. “We have been able to leverage our existing network of over 100 agencies to be responsive to the urgent and emerging needs of older British Columbians. That is thanks to the caring, commitment dedication and countless hours of agencies and organizations serving seniors put in and continue to give to ensure that seniors have the support they need, no matter where they live.”
Community-Based Seniors Services sector makes a difference
Volunteers work through United Way Better at Home agencies and other seniors-serving community organizations to support seniors during COVID-19.
“Working with the Safe Seniors, Strong Communities program has been a privilege as I have been able to witness first-hand what we can do collectively to help those in need,” says Deborah Hollins, Executive Director at Nanaimo Family Life Association, a Better at Home Emergency COVID Response organization.
“I’m so proud of my staff, colleagues and volunteers who stepped forward to ensure the older adults in our community are cared for physically and emotionally. We’re not alone and together, we are getting through this.”
Anthony Kupferschmidt, Executive Director at the West End Seniors’ Network in Vancouver agrees. The organization, also an Emergency COVID Response organization, has ramped up their existing services and added new services to meet the needs of older adults staying home in Vancouver’s densely populated West End neighbhourhood.
“Community-based seniors’ services like seniors’ centres are essential in supporting older adults at home both under normal circumstances and extraordinary circumstances like a pandemic,” Anthony says.
Watch this video and see local love in action and how the people and organizations across BC have come together to help seniors.
Back to the future
“The seniors built the community of Kelowna and the province and the country, so it’s time for us to give back and make sure they have what they need,” says Mary-Ann. “It’s just been a really, really tremendous experience, I’ve enjoyed it a lot.”
One that will see this kind of local love in action continue as the Safe Seniors, Strong Communities initiative will live beyond the COVID pandemic, thanks to a three-year multi-million dollar investment by the provincial government.
“Throughout the province, we saw an outpouring of support from friends, neighbours and families as they rallied to get groceries and medications to the elderly. As this program continues, it will be one of the positive lasting legacies that will come from the COVID-19 pandemic,” says Isobel Mackenzie, B.C.’s Seniors Advocate. “This pandemic has shown us that we really do care very deeply about our elderly.”
Since the inception of the Safe Seniors, Strong Communities initiative, the Central Okanagan Better at Home site has provided over 3,500 services to seniors.
Safe Seniors, Strong Communities is a partnership between United Way’s Better at Home program, United Way-supported bc211 and the B.C. Government through the Ministry of Health.
