Latest news with #CouncilonAging
Ottawa Citizen
06-05-2025
- Health
- Ottawa Citizen
‘We don't want to be warehoused': Advocates push for community-based future of aging in Ottawa
A Monday Tai Chi course, then a Tuesday morning river walk. Thursdays mean more exercise classes or a fresh fruit and vegetable market. Fridays are for book discussions and coffee hours. Every so often, there will be a resilience workshop, a fajita cooking class or a hula dancing session taught by a 93-year-old woman. Article content Article content Seventy-nine-year-old Sharon Moon has events to attend like this almost every day of the week. The best part? They're all hosted inside her condo building, Ambleside 1, where she has lived with her 81-year-old husband, Howard Clark, for the past seven years. Article content Article content The Ambleside buildings in the north-west Ottawa community of Woodpark are not seniors' homes or long-term care homes. They're regular condominiums, though more than half of the residents are above the age of 65. Article content Article content In Ottawa, around 170 residential buildings and several neighbourhoods can be identified as NORCs, according to a report brought to City Council last month. This number is only expected to increase, as seniors are Ottawa's fastest-growing age group and are expected to account for a fifth of all adults in the city by 2030, according to the 2021 census. Article content These communities present an opportunity to invest in community-based programming and reshape the future of aging-in-place in Ottawa, according to advocates and residents like Moon. Article content Almost every senior she knows wants to age in their own home, she said. Article content Article content Article content 'We don't want to be warehoused,' Moon said. 'Bringing services to people where they are is part of creating a healthier community.' Article content Article content Moon and other Ambleside residents started exploring options for seniors who want to age in place after being 'devastated' by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on seniors in long-term care homes. Eventually, the community connected with the Council on Aging and the Oasis support program out of Queen's University, and got the opportunity to have a paid program coordinator in their building who organizes health, wellness and social activities that residents ask for. Article content 'It's resident-driven, it's not top-down at all,' Moon said. 'It's been just an absolutely amazing experience.' Article content Implementing programming within existing communities populated by seniors is a better model of care for people wanting to age at home, according to Jennifer Brooks, a volunteer with the Council on Aging of Ottawa. Article content 'Ninety-six per cent of people want to age at home, and it's very difficult to do that in your 90s without some kind of support,' she said. 'The whole intention is really to identify where older people live so that we can bring services and supports to them.'
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
‘Waiting for services': Union County Council on Aging works to grow program, provide needs
Council on Aging supports more than 6,000 families in Union County. And those numbers are projected to grow. The local non-profit provides free services to hundreds of Union County seniors who rely on in-home care to remain independent. It provides adults over the age of 60 with in-home care, safety tools, and critical medical supplies. But there is such a need for the non-profit's services that its executive director says they can't help everyone. 'These are all the people waiting for services,' executive director Andrew Friend. He was referring to the list of 180 people on the wait list for in-home care. READ: Carolina Strong: Sending love to lonely seniors in nursing homes The non-profit already provides in-home care to 250 people. But Friend said those needs are growing. He said most recent data from NCDHHS, Union County ranks second in the state for the 65+ population percentage growth over the next 20 years. In the last five years, Friend said the non-profit has grown its budget and staff and almost doubled the number of people it serves. And the non-profit's services are critical, Friend said. 'Almost 90% of our clients fall below 200% of the federal poverty level, but unfortunately they don't qualify for Medicaid,' he said. The group is trying to grow through fundraising, Friend said, so more people like 85-year-old Margie Clay get to live independently. READ: Couples left scrambling after sudden closure of wedding venue in Union County Clay is full of life, but she says her aid Karen comes to do the things she can't do anymore. 'There's a lot of people in nursing homes who would love to be at home but they don't have any other choice,' she said. 'Without them, I'd probably be there.' Friend said the hardest part of his job is making calls to families, but it's too late. 'And we're not able to provide them service in the last year of their life when they need us the most,' he said. 'We're really just trying to grow this program so we can serve everybody that needs us when they need us the most.' The organization accepts donations in the form of money and physical items like wheelchairs and incontinence materials. Friend said the non-profit is grateful for the help it gets. 'Nobody knows what a blessing it has been,' he said. 'Nobody.' WATCH: Couples left scrambling after sudden closure of wedding venue in Union County
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
West Springfield Senior Center undergoes kitchen renovation
WEST SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – The kitchen is undergoing renovations at the West Springfield Senior Center. The West Springfield Council on Aging announced the project began last week that will provide a full working kitchen to allow in-house meal preparation, eliminating the need to receive meals from an external vendor. Portion of North End Bridge over Connecticut River closed for repairs The kitchen will be supplied with new appliances such as an oven, convection oven, dishwasher, warming box, steamer, and additional equipment and tools to support meal preparation. The compressor will be replaced in the walk-in freezer to enhance efficiency and food storage reliability. 'We are thrilled to be making these much-needed upgrades to our kitchen, which will greatly improve our ability to serve the community,' said Laurie Gearing, Director of the West Springfield Council on Aging. 'By resuming in-house meal preparation, we can ensure fresher, higher-quality meals for our seniors while better addressing their dietary needs. We appreciate everyone's patience and support during this renovation period.' 'I commend Director Gearing for her dedication and leadership in pursuing this important project. These kitchen renovations will have a lasting impact on our senior community, ensuring they continue to receive high-quality meals in a welcoming environment,' said Mayor Reichelt. The Council on Aging said the meal services and Meals on Wheels program will continue during construction. The project is expected to be completed on March 7th. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
