Seniors’ support group benefits from funding

from March 23, 2023

Raw asparagus makes a lasting impression in this spring salad

THE WORK BEING DONE BY Community Support Connections (CSC) was in the spotlight this month as the Breslau-based organization hosted a virtual event where local MPP Mike Harris was briefed on the work supported by a $91,000 grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF).

A senior support organization, CSC has one goal: helping their clients remain in their homes as long as possible.

“That’s where they’re healthiest and they’re happiest. And from a healthcare system perspective, it’s a lot more affordable for us to provide care in a person’s home,” explained CSC executive director Will Pace.

“As soon as they enter the formal health care system, so once a person moves into a facility or a hospital, the prices skyrocket. But if we can actually provide care for people in their own homes, as they need it, when and how they need it, then not only is it better for them, but it’s better for the healthcare system, because it’s a much more affordable way to actually keep them happy and healthy.”

Although the organization has some major services that provide support, such as their meals program, they also have smaller programs that make an important impact in the lives of their clients, Pace noted.

“We have a home health program so it’s homemaking, snow-shovelling, little things that again, as you get older, there may be one thing you’re not able to do. And that could be why a person says, ‘Well, I have to leave my own home and go enter a facility of some kind.’ So at the end of the day, it’s just all about letting our clients live in their own homes with independence and dignity.”

The virtual event March 10 put the spotlight on the provincial grant that helped the organization provide free exercise classes across the region, as well as fall prevention information sessions. The funds also facilitate the opportunity to offer eight exercise class options throughout the week, serving more than 500 clients.

“Community Support Connections helps their residents live independently and with dignity, and it is important that they will be able to continue their work with the support of our government,” said Harris in a release.

Community Support Connections serves around 5,000

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