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Connecting with Ontario Seniors: Moving From Social Isolation to Social Inclusion
April 24, 2018
Presenters:
• Bonnie Schoeder, MSW, RSW – Age-Friendly Ottawa Director, The Council on Aging of Ottawa
• Rachel Sutcliffe, BSW, B.Ed. – Seniors’ Centre Without Walls Coordinator, The Good Companions
• Nancy Angus – Community Connector & Thunder Bay GIANTS Lead
Funded by the
Government of
Ontario
All the Lonely People, where do they all come from?
hidden epidemic
6M Canadians live in isolation
1.5M Canadians seniors
report being lonely
Social Isolation • few social contacts and roles
• No mutually rewarding relationships
• actively avoided
Loneliness • Feelings of isolation and not belonging
• Limited interaction with others
Solitude • being alone without being lonely
• actively sought
• personal choice
Risk Factors | Indicators of Social Isolation Personal
• Being over the age of 80
• No children
• Certain groups: newcomers,
immigrants, LGBTQ, Indigenous
• Limited formal education
• Death of a spouse/partner
• Poor English skills
Living Situation • Low/unstable income
• Being a caregiver
• No friends or family nearby
• Not known to your neighbours
• Limited activities and groups
• Living alone
Health • Chronic illness/disability
• Depression
• Loss of vision, hearing
• Dementia
• Mobility issues
• Addictions
Changes in… • Physical / mental health
• Personal hygiene / appearance
• Personality / routine
• Appearance of home
Barriers to… • Affordable and accessible transportation
• knowledge of and access to services
• Technology
• Limited help with daily activities
Vietnamese Chinese Spanish Italian Arabic
French English
Consequences of
Social Isolation more likely to…
Report physical and mental health problems
Have chronic health conditions, such as, heart
disease, arthritis, high blood pressure, & depression
Experience poor cognitive performance, cognitive
decline and an increased risk of dementia
Report unhealthy behaviors / lifestyle: poor diet,
sedentary, and smoking
Be a victim of abuse
Have a negative view of their future quality of life
Use emergency services
Enter long term care
Die a premature death
www.kosc.ca
www.kosc.ca
Support: Communications and Evaluation
Rural Seniors
Ethno-cultural Seniors
High Density Neighbourhoods
English as a Second Language
Low-Income Communities
Elder Abuse
22% have a
first language
other than
English or French
50% have a
disability
9% live in a
rural area
7% live on a
low-income
24% live
alone
Sources: Census, NHS, CCHS, 2011
15% are in an
abusive
relationship
Ottawa
seniors,
23% Have someone to
provide or give advice
about a crisis - some,
little or none of the time
Sources: Census, NHS, CCHS, 2011
Ottawa
seniors,
19% Have someone to
help with daily chores
- some, little or
none of the time
13% Someone to
listen to them
- some, little or
none of the time
13% Participate in family
or friend activity
- once per year
or never
“Loneliness
is the most
terrible
poverty.” ~ Mother Teresa
www.kosc.ca
Seniors’ Centre
Without Walls
The Good Companions Seniors’ Centre Ottawa
“The most terrible poverty is
loneliness, and the feeling of being
unloved” -Mother Teresa
Why have a SCWW Program?
Seniors face multiple barriers accessing traditional services.
Barriers include physical, transportation, health, financial,
wait lists and more
Gaps in services
Long waitlists for community support programs
High needs/complex clients
Consistency with delivery and delivery providers (the
volunteer time factor)
Ability to reach greater number of seniors
Growing number of seniors
How We Started
Researched innovative programs to reach more isolated
seniors
Found SCWW running successfully across North America
(New York, California and Winnipeg)
Received a grant for a 3-year pilot project from Ontario
Trillium Foundation
Started our first calendar in April 2015
Worked in collaboration with community partners
What is SCWW? Seniors’ Centre Without Walls (SCWW) is a community outreach
program to support vulnerable and isolated seniors and adults
with physical disabilities who may find it difficult to leave home
for extended periods of time due to financial constraints,
transportation difficulties, and/or health and mobility issues.
Through the use of conference calls, SCWW provides the
opportunity for participants to obtain pertinent health-related
information through direct access and conversations with
professionals from their community, later-life-learning
opportunities, participation in brain-stimulating activities, and
most importantly, to feel part of a community and opportunity
to create new and meaningful friendships.
Who benefits from SCWW
Isolated seniors and adults with physical disabilities who may not be able to leave home for extended periods of time and are at risk of becoming, or who already are socially isolated
Transportation difficulties: geographical location, access to transportation
Financial constraints: low-income (53% of participants living with annual income less than $15,000)
Gender: 84 % identify as female
Health/Mobility Issues:
79 % of clients self-identify as having a disability
23 % of clients self-identify as living with a mental health issue
Isolated:
68 % live alone
How Does SCWW Work?
How to Register?
Self-referral, in-house referrals, referrals through other
agencies
Complete an intake over phone or through home-visit
Receive calendar of upcoming sessions/activities
Register for any of the sessions/activities
Every 3 ½ months a new Calendar of Programs will be
mailed/emailed out and will register for next calendar term
sessions.
Serve all of Ottawa and greater Ottawa area
No catchment area
The Calendar of Programs
On average 2 sessions a day Monday-Friday
Every program as a specific day and time
Health and Wellness presentations
Educational lectures and Human Library Series
Travelogues
Monthly
Musical Entertainment
Fun & Games
Weekly/Bi-Weekly
Participants receive reminder call starting 30
minutes before the presentation starts to see if
they are participating that day
Calls last between 30-60 minutes
Clients can call into the conference call
independently or can be called in by facilitator
Participants are able to speak to each other, ask
questions and participate at their own comfort
level
Max number on the phone is approx. 15
(depending on the topic)
At the end of call, they just need to hang up the
phone
April 2015
Total Attendance:
9
Sessions Given: 8
January 2018
Total Attendance:
311
Sessions Given: 37
Evolution of SCWW
April 1st 2015 –
January 31st 2018
Total # of Sessions Total # of Session
Participants
Year #1 262 1016
Year #2 412 2347
Year # 3 350 2678
(*only 9 mos.)
Totals: 1,042 6,041
Total Number of Sessions and Session
Participants in 29 months
Benefits of the Program
Outcomes from our 2016-2017 End of Year
Survey:
I would recommend this program to others 100%
I feel like I have something to look forward to as a
result of the program
97%
I found that my quality of life has improved because
of the program
85%
I found an improvement in an active lifestyle 88%
Does SCWW program provide you with something you
are not getting elsewhere
94%
Benefits of the Program Access to Health and Wellness Information
Finding out what programs and services are in their community that can help them
Talking directly to service providers
50% decrease in visits to the Emergency Room, in fact one client has not visited the ER since he started the program.
One client had a pace-maker put in 3 weeks after a presentation on Cardio-Vascular Health
Examples of Topics: Eating Healthy, managing chronic pain, meditation, managing medication, fall prevention
Reduction of loneliness
Brain-Stimulating Activities and Later Life Learning Opportunities
Keeping the brain active and useful
Benefits of the Program Inclusion, Importance, Community, Friendship and Love
Actively involved with the planning of programming
Connecting with peers
People who care about them
https://www.facebook.com/CBCOttawa/videos/10155164653748212/
https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/program-connects-lonely-seniors-through-conference-calls-1.3335260
“It has altered my attitude because I am more positive now. You don't realize these things until asked. There is no doubt that they have been a part of my life and also given me some level of confidence that I would otherwise not have. I know they are there if I need them” –Ken, 86
“It gives me something to look forward to. I really like interacting with the other people on the line. Now that I am part of this program I no longer feel as lonely.” –Brenda
Future of the Program
Received $100,000 Seniors Community Grant from
the Ministry of Seniors Affairs to continue and
grow the program
First Virtual Active Living Centre in Ontario
Grand Individuals Aging with Neighbours in Thunder Bay
Presented by Nancy Angus, Tuesday, April 24, 2018
Neighbourhood
"Here is my castle."
"One little chair for one of you,
a bigger chair for two more to curl up in,
and for someone who likes to rock,
a rocking chair in the middle.“
The Friendly Giant
Thunder Bay, Home of the Sleeping Giant
With a grant from the Government of Canada’s New Horizons for Seniors program, our Age Friendly Thunder Bay team created…
Age Friendly GIANTs
Grand Individuals Aging with Neighbours in Thunder Bay
Thunder Bay by the numbers
2016 Canada Census:
• 19.8% of population is over age 65
• 29% of private households are maintained by people over age 65
The issue and the opportunity
“I know the cars on my street,
not the people who drive the
cars.”
St. Joseph’s Care Group Day Hospital Client
Age Friendly Thunder Bay
Community-Wide Action Plan
Community priorities were determined, including: Develop and communicate a stronger plan to help Older Adults age in their homes.
Action Plan results: 78% of all surveyed agreed that isolation is an issue for Older Adults.
February 2017
The GIANTs project was designed:
• to get seniors talking to each other about aging at home and in their Thunder Bay neighbourhoods
• to get seniors to share tips about how they were able to stay in their homes and how they worked with their neighbours to age in-place and stay connected, not isolated
The GIANTs project involved:
• the creation of ten digital storytelling videos written, voiced and produced by seniors ranging from age 58 to 99;
• showcase events, including a sold-out launch at the local professional theatre stage;
• articles and interviews in local media;
• two tip sheets showcasing Savvy Seniors Strategies for aging-in-place and aging as part of a neighbourhood;
The GIANTs project involved:
• a poster series featuring photographs and tips from the GIANTs;
• a laminated card “MY EIGHT” that encouraged seniors to recruit and identify their Team of Eight with space for names and contact information of 8 individuals they could go to for support, friendship, connection and home-to-stay help
GIANTs’ advice
Our GIANTs in Their Own Words
Our GIANTs in Their Own Words
Our GIANTs in Their Own Words
Our GIANTs in Their Own Words
Our GIANTs in Their Own Words
Lynn’s Story
Brian’s Story
Watch our videos & talk about the issues https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIcpui9GeJRoGXZJsd0sFQLtMon-19KVe
The Results • The process of sharing stories and respecting
others as they tell their story can be a powerful means to create community, reduce social isolation and increase self-confidence.
• The act of telling, sharing and producing these stories had a positive impact on the participants as they learned about new technology, supported by facilitators and volunteers, in an intergenerational collaborative, creative, supportive & friendly setting. They learned and shared their story to help other seniors.
The Results
• The seniors were mentored by younger people in the technology aspect and in turn served as mentors to members of the community who were inspired by their examples of aging.
• The ten GIANTs and the team behind the project became friends.
Group photo
For more information… www.agefriendlythunderbay.ca (look for GIANTs on home page)
Nancy Angus
Community Connector & Isobuster
Cell/Text: 807-627-3564
Thank you !
Contacts and Resources
• Bonnie Schroeder: [email protected] – Keeping Ottawa Seniors Connected: www.kosc.ca
• Rachel Sutcliffe: [email protected]
• Nancy Angus: [email protected] – GIANTs digital stories on YouTube:
www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIcpui9GeJRoGXZJsd0sFQLtMon-19KVe
– Age Friendly Thunder Bay: www.agefriendlythunderbay.ca/
Thank you!
• Ontario Age-Friendly Communities Website – www.agefriendlyontario.ca
– www.collectivitesamiesdesainesontario.ca
• Provincial AFC Distribution List – http://bit.ly/1N7v8rw
• AFC Knowledge Broker, Sarah Webster – [email protected]
