Staying connected looks a little different now!
"Thank you for the tools to help us sustain our positiveness, gentleness and kindness to ourselves during this time of isolation, vulnerability and changes every day. Maria’s ability to bring inclusiveness of all participants is encouraging and builds up self esteem. The hand outs and questions are informative gentle and non threatening. All in all a day of awe and wonder. Thanks to all who allow these workshops to take place." Workshop participant.
New data from Statistics Canada compiled in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic confirms seniors are more susceptible to the harmful effects of social isolation. "It has been determined that social isolation can be a particular challenge for those who are living alone, especially if they have little or no interaction with others,” the report notes. According to a recent study from Statistics Canada, social support and participation are associated with better mental and physical health outcomes.
When the new reality set in, we spoke to some of our senior friends and they told us that this physical distancing has affected their social connection. They were used to meeting up with friends and neighbours and now they feel the gap quite strongly. We discovered that many people in Muskoka have been moving online to watch their church services, to meet with friends, to do their grocery shopping and to Facetime or Zoom with their families. But that still seems to leave out quite a few people. Those with limited knowledge of navigating online platforms (or even accessing their email), those who have spotty or non-existent internet, those who don't have access to devices or their devices are old and cannot connect to the newer software. There are many reasons that they might feel left behind.
Our response to these challenges has been to partner with Ryde Co-op, Elder Abuse Prevention Muskoka and several other seniors programs along with funding from New Horizons, loaning out tablets and offering support. We continue to host several online programs - starting with a workshop with Maria Duncalf-Barber called ' Construction of a New Stronger Self' on zoom - something none of us had done before - the attendance ranged from 15 to 20 women, even some from the UK, and the response was that they were happy that we were doing this right now as it increased their well-being and connectivity.
We also hosted a " How to Use Zoom Tutorial for Seniors' workshop. We have been running Digital Smarts workshops twice a week - with up to 7 attendees and the feedback we are hearing from those are: zoom has increased their connection with others, they are learning a great deal each session and that they feel much more comfortable exploring the internet. The facilitators, Margaret Gallant and myself, are also learning at each session and the speed in which the attendees are increasing their abilities has been impressive.
We hope that someday soon we can meet again in person but until then we know we are at least meeting our friends where they are at.
Jiana Cutting
Digital Smarts Coordinator
|
