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One call away: Helping isolated seniors and adults with physical disabilities through a phone call

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As the holidays inch closer, so too does the focus on community, as not all people have someone to talk with, let alone the ability to leave their homes to socialize.

Ottawa’s Good Companions Seniors’ Centre launched a three-year pilot project last April aimed at easing social isolation. Seniors’ Centre Without Walls is the first program of its kind in Eastern Canada, offering seniors and adults with physical disabilities who cannot easily access community centres in person a phone service that lets people connect, play games and chat with others. It is funded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation.

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With the growing number of seniors in Canada — predicted to jump from six million in 2014 to 9.5 million in 2030, according to a 2014 federal report, Action for Seniors — there could be an increased demand in services for those feeling socially isolated.

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One 65-year-old who has been using the program since last year’s launch called it “a life-saver” because she isn’t mobile and doesn’t have much family in the city.

“I spend my whole day alone on the computer and I don’t watch a lot of TV,” said Kanata resident Brenda, who spoke on condition her last name not be used to protect her privacy. “My phone never rang (before). Now it rings two times a day, usually with a program in the morning and sometimes in the afternoon. So it’s great.”

The Citizen recently spoke to program co-ordinator Rachel Sutcliffe about Seniors’ Centre Without Walls.

Q. Why was the program launched?

A. Within our community support services, we were finding we had a lot of seniors that were socially isolated and who were wanting services such as friendly visiting or client-connect calls. And friendly visiting is a program where volunteers go out into the community and visit with a client twice a month. So what are they doing for the rest of that time? Between visits is a long time and that may be their only social interaction for that month … and we were finding we had a backlog. We had a lot of people wanting that service, and we didn’t have enough volunteers at the time to match them up.

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Q. How does the program work?

A. We provide group activities over the phone for seniors and adults with physical disabilities in the Ottawa area who may not be able to attend a recreational centre in person, and are at risk of becoming socially isolated … so through the use of conference calls we provide health and wellness presentations, educational lectures, brain stimulating activities, fun and games, travel logs and general conversation.

Q. How many people participate?

A. Last year we provided 262 phone sessions, with over 1,000 participants. We  have about 50 to 60 regular active participants within that. Most of our programs run about half an hour. We have anywhere between five to 10 people on the call, depending on what the program is that day.

Q. What kind of feedback are you getting from users?

A. We did an end-of-year survey as part of our Trillium work plan. I think we interviewed around 23 (Ottawa-area residents) over the phone, and 87 per cent felt that they belonged to a community. And as a result of the program, 100 per cent felt they had something to look forward to. Around 82 per cent found their quality of life had improved because of the program; 100 per cent would recommend the program to others; and 100 per cent found pleasure and enjoyment. On person said to me, “I sit at home, I listen to the radio. I stare at the wall all day and nobody comes to visit me so this program gives me something to look forward to.”

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pmccooey@postmedia.com

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