The Seniors Health Network poses a monthly hypothetical health care question to a healthcare professional.
Andrea Cox, program co-ordinator, and Sue McIntosh, executive director of Seniors Come Share Society, were recently asked the following:
“My wife and I have recently moved to the White Rock/South Surrey area and we are both in our 80’s. We know there must be lots going on here but we don’t know where to begin finding activities for seniors and finding a bit of help. My wife suffers from depression and we really need to get her connected to some resources here.”
Welcome to the neighbourhood! You have chosen a great community to move into, as you will soon discover. We have a wide variety of activities and supports already in place for older adults to help them connect, provide support and take the stress out of moving to a new place.
We suggest that you begin by picking up a copy of our Seniors Come Share Society’s Resource Directory. It can be found at the local libraries, community centres and Kent Street Activity Centre, as well as online at www.comeshare.ca. This directory is a goldmine of information.
Several of the pages near the front outline the services offered through Seniors Come Share Society. These include education sessions on legal issues, health-authority services, as well as numbers to call to get light housekeeping and yard maintenance through our Better at Home program. Also included is information on the day programs for older adults.
Many of the society’s 230 wonderful volunteers speak several languages and, through the Friendly Visitor program, help to decrease isolation for people who can’t get out as much as they would like. The volunteers also provide training on computers, assist low-income earners in completing tax forms and facilitate community meal programs in five different locations, among other things.
If transportation is a problem, Sources BC has a volunteer-driver program to help individuals get to medical appointments. They also have a shop-by-phone grocery shopping service.
If you are not handy in the kitchen or perhaps don’t like cooking, there are several private meal-delivery services from which you can order, as well as the community’s Meals on Wheels volunteer program.
If you are settling in the Crescent Beach area, check out Alexandra Neighbourhood House. Their community garden initiatives are a great way to keep your hands into gardening.
All the contact information for these services can be found in the Seniors Come Share Society’s Resource Directory.
To find a new doctor, you can check out the ‘A GP for Me Program’ online. Through this program, the White Rock/South Surrey Division of Family Practice has helped find regular primary care for more than 12,000 patients. The same program, working with the Healthiest Community initiative, has developed a comprehensive list of health supports including: mental health/counselling, healthy living classes such as back health and balance class 65+, as well as information on condition-specific areas such as cancer and strokes. These can all be found by searching for “Fetch for Everything That’s Community Health” online, at sswr.fetch.ca
For recreation, aside from our million-dollar view along the waterfront and our great parks, our sites offer a variety of activities such as pickleball, fitness classes, art classes, day trips, dancing and more.
A 94-years-young friend says that everyone needs a reason to get up in the morning and our community certainly offers a lot of reasons. We hope this helps you, and if you have any questions, please feel free to call us at 604- 531-9400. We are always happy to help.
The South Surrey White Rock Seniors Health Network is a coalition of seniors service providers working under the auspices of the Mayor of White Rock’s office. For information on community resources, visit sswr.fetchbc.ca. If you have a question for publication, please email seniorshealthnetworksswr@gmail.com