As the baby boomer population in Canada keeps aging, not-for-profits are providing more ways for senior citizens to be active members of their communities.
Representatives from four Ottawa organizations were on hand recently to receive provincial funding ranging from $1,870 to $10,000 to be used for programming geared towards giving senior citizens a fuller social calendar in Centretown.
The Ottawa Sui Yi Multicultural Arts Academy, the Yet Keen Senior’s Day Centre, the Ottawa Chinese Community Service Centre and the Jewish Youth Library received the funding as part of this year’s Senior Community Grant Program.
Yasir Naqvi, MPP for Ottawa Centre, says the aim of the grant is to help the not-for-profit organizations such as those in Centretown receiving the grant provide programming to organizations that keep seniors healthy and engaged by giving them more opportunities to do different things together in a group.
“One of the things a lot of small not-for-profits talk about is the need for some sort of financial help from the government,” Naqvi says.
A diverse range of programs will be offered at these four locations, such as brush painting classes at the Arts Academy, walking tours of Centretown restaurants hosted by the Yet Keen centre, winter exercise classes at the Chinese Community Service Centre and a series of workshops at the Jewish Youth Library.
Anna Yip, the program co-ordinator at the Yet Keen centre, says the Yummy Journey for a Healthy Tummy program looks as if it is going well.
The centre hosts trips for seniors where 25 participants at a time walk to different cultural restaurants in the neighbourhood to learn about the various ways food is prepared around the world.
“Some restaurants even open their kitchens so the seniors can get a look,” says Yip. The program also touches on food safety and nutrition and will benefit the more than 75 seniors that will participate.
Yip says the first three trips were “overwhelmingly well-received.”
Located on Switzer Avenue, off Kirkwood Avenue, the Jewish Youth Library’s executive director Devora Caytak says the program, which will present a series of workshops in February, is about inclusion and addressing the different concerns and issues affecting seniors.
“It’s open to the public and seniors in Centretown would definitely benefit,” Caytak says. She adds that the most popular workshop so far is a social media workshop geared towards seniors.
Other workshops include one about the Canadian health system and its benefits and shortcomings presented by lawyer and former Canadian Healthcare Association president Sharon Sholzberg-Grey, another about changing trends in community volunteering and one about recognizing and dealing with signs of elder abuse.
The workshops themselves will take place at the Soloway Jewish Community Centre, which is a few blocks away from the library on Nadolny Sachs Private.
“The goal is to help seniors become more inclusive and also to network, to learn [and] share their knowledge,” Caytak says. “These are all professionals that are going to be giving these workshops, so it’s a unique opportunity.”
Naqvi says many community organizations have applied for the grant. Funding can range from $500 to $10,000 if the focus is on providing activities for seniors.