‘We’re grateful’: $155,358 fund includes hot meals, tablets for Vaughan, Keswick seniors

‘We need to provide new kinds of help’ in coronavirus fight

Yorkregion.com
July 3, 2020
Dina Al-Shibeeb

Natalie Iuzzolino, a health promoter at the Vaughan Community Health Centre, checked up on a 91-year-old client on Tuesday, June 30, to see if he was comfortable using his newly-acquired tablet.

Luckily, Iuzzolino reported, he was a proud man after having mastered the use of the tablet in order to connect with his friends. She is now trying to convince other seniors to use this technology to curb their sense of isolation in the time of COVID-19, when older adults are self-isolating to protect themselves.

Iuzzolino has 24 other tablets -- all preloaded with three months' worth of data and IT support -- that she needs to distribute to Keswick seniors who are feeling a greater sense of isolation in the rural community.

These tablets are part of a government investment of $155,358 for eight projects, announced on Monday, June 29 by Deb Schulte, member of Parliament for King--Vaughan and minister of seniors.

“We’re proud to work with local partners to provide programs and services for seniors that keep them connected,” said Schulte in a statement. “Because seniors are staying safe by isolating at home, we also need to provide new kinds of help.”

The investment, which falls under the New Horizons for Seniors Program, was slated to be approved in early 2020. However, it was modified to fit seniors' changing needs amid the pandemic outbreak, which affected this age demographic living in nursing homes.

“So we’ve provided flexibility for previously approved projects to be modified to meet seniors’ needs during this unprecedented public health crisis,” added Schulte.

Meanwhile, the original branch of the Vaughan Community Health Centre, located in Woodbridge, has “applied for similar funding, but we are waiting for a response from the funder,” said executive director Isabel Araya.

These funds also included hot meals for seniors.

The Woodbridge-based Golden Age Village for the Elderly has received $25,000 to deliver food to seniors self-isolating at home. From April 20 to June 14, the organization provided hot meals once a week to over 300 seniors. Volunteers taking orders over the phone also provided social interactions for the seniors they supported.

“We are so grateful to the New Horizons for Seniors Program and Minister Deb Schulte that we have the 25K for our Hot Meals for Seniors Program,” said Tanya Nguyen, the executive director for the Golden Age Village for the Elderly.

“It is sad that we have to stop because we don't have more funding to continue. We have applied with the United Way to continue this program, and are hopeful that we will hear back from them soon so we can continue this much-needed program again,” Nguyen added.

Due to COVID-19, “it is so much worse” for seniors, explained Nguyen, “because they were not able to go out anywhere and find it so difficult to get the things they need.”

“Everything is more expensive and everything has to be delivered to them, which costs more also,” she added. “They were happy not only because they get to eat one hot delicious meal per week, but also feel the comfort of knowing that there are people in the community that think and care about them. We hope very much to receive more funding so we can continue with this program.”

Here are other organizations in Schulte’s riding that received some funding.

Caregiving Matters, which has received $24,988

Seniors with the organization will produce four interactive workshops on the topic of loss. Seniors and older people deal with loss all the time: loss of mobility, loss of a driver’s licence and the loss of loved ones, including pets. If you are struggling with some kind of loss, the workshops will feature experts who can provide tips to help get through a period of mourning. With the funding, a professional videographer has been hired to create a digital archive of the workshops. The organization will be hosting the workshops digitally with Zoom.

Chabad of Maple, which has received $25,000

The organization has reallocated the funds to enable seniors in the community to celebrate Jewish holidays while physical distancing. Specialty food kits have been prepared and delivered to seniors on religious holidays. They are also delivering groceries and other essentials to seniors self-isolating.

Human Endeavour, which has received $24,900

Seniors involved with the organization will be participating in a program called Expressing Canadian Life Experiences Through Art. Seniors will have the opportunity to express their life experiences musically through their desired medium. These online workshops will support the social participation and inclusion of seniors. They have also created a tablet loan program for seniors that includes technical support and helping seniors participate in online workshops.

Mapleglen Seniors Residence, which has received $3,600

The organization will lead stretching and exercise classes outside for residents. In addition, they will distribute refreshments on Canada Day.

Oak Ridges Moraine Land Trust, which has received $25,000

Seniors involved with the organization will engage other seniors in live or pre-recorded video activities such as birdwatching and plant and animal identification.

South Asian Association of Vaughan, which has received $5,000

From April to June, the organization ran a culturally appropriate pandemic awareness campaign (in various languages such as Hindi and Punjabi), targeting the South Asian community in Vaughan. They facilitated a number of virtual events, including weekly gaming sessions to foster social inclusion, musical concerts involving local artists and dance exercise sessions for members to build a sense of community in a fun and healthy way. In the coming months, the organization is planning a post-pandemic awareness campaign, which will include precautions to be taken once restrictions start loosening up. They plan to continue with online dance exercise and gaming sessions.