Seton Villa Retirement Centre is located in beautiful British Columbia and is a thriving and sustainable neighbourhood community. This centre promotes health, independence, and provides affordable living for seniors. I had an opportunity to interview Michele Cook, Executive Director...
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September 16, 2020 11:00am – 12:00pm PDT This past April, The National Institute on Aging called attention to research which links severe health risks for older people due to loneliness and depression. Some of these health risks include high...
Social isolation and loneliness among residents in senior living communities have been epidemic, even before the COVID-19 pandemic. This is despite the best efforts of organizations to provide quality of life programning. Recently two new peer-reviewed articles have been...
When I heard about Greta Thunberg, a young girl who began calling for stronger action on climate change from the Swedish Parliament when she only 15, I was impressed at her determination at such a young age. I thought...
Reducing Loneliness and Depression: The Power of Peer Mentoring in Long-term Care Theurer et al. (2020) Loneliness is all around us. It is linked with depression and is arguably one of the most critical health issues facing our society....
Getting a flu shot matters. “Flu and pneumonia are a critical health concern, and in recent years have resulted in over 50,000 deaths annually, making it the eighth-leading cause of death, just behind diabetes,” says Alison Bryant, Ph.D., senior...
You may never have heard of a city called Port Alberni. It is beautiful—located on Vancouver Island in the province of British Columbia, Canada and almost completely surrounded by mountains. While Port Alberni might not be as well known...
Thank you, Revera! This week Java Music, a peer support program, was shipped to all Revera retirement communities across Canada—giving staff evidence-based tools to engage residents and help target social isolation and loneliness. In an effort the enhance resident’s...
By Kristine Theurer, PhD “If it doesn’t help my bottom line, I’m not interested.” I was having a brief chat at a conference with a CEO who operates 10 senior living homes, explaining how peer support and mentoring reduces...
Loneliness is everywhere. Peer support – residents helping resident – is a cost effective and powerful approach to ending loneliness in senior living. Yet in the search for a solution, peer support is often overlooked. How can we create...