By Joel Weiner
Except for loners, people of all ages beyond early childhood instinctively seek out relations with others beyond their immediate families. For seniors living in Lowertown’s retirement facilities of various kinds, these social connections largely revolve around interacting with fellow residents on a regular basis and engaging in common activities. But COVID-19 has halted many activities, imposed strict public health measures like social distancing and, as a result, tested community bonds.
One of Lowertown’s principal facilities for seniors is the Ottawa Community Housing (OCH) apartment building at 160 Charlotte Street just below Rideau. The main organizations supplying social services to residents there are the Lowertown Community Resource Centre (LCRC) and Ottawa West Community Support (OWCS), which operates its Aging in Place program at 11 OCH seniors’ complexes across the city.
“COVID-19 has been very difficult and lonely for seniors,” says Jennifer Lalonde, OWCS’ executive director. “Since the beginning, seniors have been told that they are the most vulnerable and need to stay home to stay safe. Those living in congregate settings like 160 Charlotte often feel that they cannot leave their apartment because they need to share hallways and elevators with others.
“At the same time, many of the support services and excursions that we and other community partners provided to the residents stopped overnight. Seniors lost access to their friends, and forced social isolation has had an impact.”
The LCRC has also had to curtail many of its activities for seniors. “We used to offer fitness classes, coffee klatches and group cooking and eating sessions,” says Sarah McGirr, a social support worker, “but Coronavirus put an end to those. With COVID, people have had to find new, non-physical ways to connect ”
Together with other agencies, the LCRC came up with new programs that can be safely delivered under current conditions. Two examples are the Lowertown Concert Series, featuring music, dance, and storytelling over Zoom, and the Storytelling-Over-The-Phone Series. Both were afternoon events organized by Multicultural Arts for Schools and Communities (MASC) in partnership with the LCRC and other neighborhood partners. (See “MASC on the job” in the February issue of The Echo).
The two series provided participating seniors with opportunities to stay engaged and also keep in touch with each other as well as the organizations that help them. Unfortunately, both ended last month when funding for the program expired.
While concerts and storytelling over Zoom and the phone have ended, other activities are set to begin. The LCRC is about to launch a project in which seniors at home will create pieces of art out of recycled objects, with an expert guiding them by video link and phone. This follows a similar activity that took place between January and March: 16 residents at 160 Charlotte were given art supply kits and, under the remote supervision of professional artist Nicole Bélanger, created a collective work.
Not all organized activities for seniors require communications technology. Last year, in collaboration with MASC, LCRC organized outdoor dancing at 160 Charlotte: standing on their balconies or socially distanced in front of the building, participants learned new steps under the tutelage of Suzan Richards. Eight sessions took place before cold weather forced a halt.
But dancing will be back this year. Although the dates have not been finalized, New Horizons for Seniors has already confirmed its financial support.
Another outdoor program last year at 160 Charlotte was rebuilding the community garden. A partnership between the LCRC and OCH, that project engaged a knowledgeable volunteer who guided participants in revitalizing the property’s neglected garden. Successful and popular, this activity will likely resume once the weather and public health measures permit.
Before COVID-19, the large gymnasium at the Patro was the venue for the traditional holiday gatherings hosted by the LCRC. Meals donated by Zak’s Diner were served to between 150 and 175 people, many of them seniors from 160 Charlotte.
“Last year, we had to cancel the annual Christmastime party, so we took the party to the residents and delivered holiday meals to them,” Sarah McGirr recalls. “We also brought a community meal in the summer to 60 people.”
Like many of the LCRC’s projects, this was another collaboration with OWCS and OCH. “We worked with partners to provide contact with every client household at least twice a year through door knocks and holiday drop-offs,” says Jennifer Lalonde. “For Christmas, we came together to ensure that everyone at 160 Charlotte had a short visit, a gift and meal.”
Yet another activity aimed at maintaining a sense of community is the LCRC’s Ethnocultural Program that checks in with residents at 160 Charlotte (and beyond). Last year, it made a total of 2,600 weekly “COVID wellness calls” to seniors with language and cultural barriers who have difficulty accessing services. This outreach helped break isolation and learn about any problems.
All these approaches are fully in line with the growing body of scientific literature about how to reinforce a sense of community among seniors during a time of pandemic. Most of these studies focus on Long-Term Care (LTC) facilities, but experts have begun to examine how lessons learned in LTC’s can be applied to seniors in more settings or living in private homes.
A recent study by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research identified a number of strategies to support social connection under COVID-19. Among them are: opportunities for creative expression, like art, music or storytelling; exercise; gardening, either indoors or outside; and using technology to communicate. Clearly, all these types of initiatives are applied in Lowertown for the benefit of our seniors.