There’s a misconception, says Noor Din, that when a senior goes to live with their own family, they will never be lonely.
In fact, all too often, seniors can feel trapped in the home, without outside contacts or activities. They can end up isolated from the broader community, lonely, and depressed.
“They want to be with people their own age,” says Noor Din – something he has learned from personal experience.
Two years after Din and his wife moved to Canada from Pakistan, in the early 1990s, they were joined by his mother. At the time, they were living in a community building that was almost all Pakistani – sharing the same language, the same culture, a sense of community.
Problems arose when he bought his first house in Vaughan. Within a week of moving in – “Within days,” Din says – his mother was begging to return to the old apartment. Not only did she not speak the language, she had no contacts, no friends, no connections, no social life.
At the age of 79, it wasn’t feasible for her to be on her own, so Din and his wife decided to find a local solution.
Their solution? A program designed for seniors who were isolated within the community by barriers of language, culture, or lack of mobility.
It started as a pilot project within the South Asian community, with support from the City of Vaughan - so “grassroots” that Din and his wife drove around the area, stopping people of South Asian descent, and inviting them to participate.
The first program opened in March, with only six seniors – “my mom and five others,” Din said. One of the first issues was transportation, so Din negotiated a deal with local taxi drivers, to offer transportation to the program at a special rate.
By the end of thee months, the number of participants was up to 40.
Now, more than a decade later, Healthy Outcomes of Preventative Engagement (HOPE) for Seniors engages more than 750 seniors at nine different locations, encouraging social engagement, new friendships, and healthy activity. The program, an offshoot of Human Endeavour, has not only received funding from both the United Way and Ontario Ministry of Health, but i international recognition.
What “started as a grassroots program – it didn’t have any planning behind it,” has become an award-winning approach to engaging seniors and encouraging healthy outcomes.
In 2010, HOPE for Seniors won an Innovation Award from the Ministry of Health; in 2012, the 3M Health Leadership Award; in 2013, the program was named one of the top five age-friendly initiatives in the world, in international competition.
“There was a definite need for us,” said Din, of the organization’s start in Vaughan. “It was grassroots. We saw a need in the community.”
And he sees the same need in Bradford.
Bradford West Gwillimbury is one of the fastest growing communities in Ontario. It has been attracting families from areas like Woodbridge, Vaughan and Toronto, drawn by lower housing prices and better quality of life.
But there are many of the same issues here that Din saw in Vaughan 15 years ago: multi-generations sharing homes, seniors new to Canada who may not speak English with fluency trapped in their own homes, experiencing the same social isolation and lack of connections.
That’s one reason why, Din said, “We want to bring that award-winning program here.”
Din, through the non-profit organization Human Endeavour and with support from the Town of BWG, held the first of two information sessions on Tuesday night, to introduce the HOPE for Seniors program to Bradford residents.
He was joined by Lakehead University students Aaliyah Grunnum and Marisa Gutta, both studying for a Bachelor of Social Work, who have been observing the program in operation at its various locations.
Grunnum, who lives in Vaughan, said she never really realized the need – “The depression, loneliness and the need to connect” that some seniors experience - until she became engaged with HOPE for Seniors.
She helped organize a dance for seniors last week, and saw firsthand “the joy, the friendship, the bonds they built.”
Gutta, a lifelong resident of Bradford, has seen the influx of seniors from many countries of origin into her community – and the positive reaction of formerly isolated seniors, as they take part in the HOPE programs.
“Everyone just loves to go. It’s an extended family,” Gutta said.
The info session on Tuesday night included a description of the history and various programs of HOPE for Seniors, a short video, and an explanation of what is planned here.
The idea is not to provide a drop-in program, but consistent programming at “the same place at the same time” from week to week. “It’s giving you something to look forward to,” said Grunnum.
Seniors are being asked for their input, on the type of programming they would like to see.
“Many of our programs are run by seniors themselves,” Din noted; it is the seniors who will decide which programs are important to them, from fitness activities, to monthly dances.
There will be a second information session about HOPE for Seniors this Friday, March 6 at 11 a.m., in the BWG Leisure Centre’s Activity Room on the main floor.
All seniors – especially those who feel isolated by culture, language, disability, or lack of connection to the community – are invited to attend. There will be an opportunity to provide feedback, enjoy light refreshments, and make new friends.
“I know in Bradford there is a need,” said Din. “We’re more focused on belonging and social inclusion. Whether they know English or not, whether they know how to dance or not – it’s open for everyone.”
He added, “We are enabling those seniors. The centre becomes their home… We are no longer just an organization, we are part of their family.”
In a short video, participants in HOPE for Seniors talked about their own experiences with the program.
“It’s probably the best thing I did. I get to meet new people, make new friends,” said one senior.
“You laugh and laugh, and the depression goes away,” said another.
That’s something Din would like to see in Bradford. “Let’s connect and know each other. It’s a much more diverse, developing community,” he said, inviting any senior feeling isolated by language, culture, disability or retirement to come out, meet new friends, share their traditions and cultures, and build a community.