Seniors Advisory Committee hard at work for community

By Mark Ribble

LEAMINGTON — With glowing praise from Leamington Mayor Hilda MacDonald, the Leamington Seniors Advisory Committee is working hard behind the scenes.

Advisory Committee Chair, Martin Girash, spoke to the Sun last week about the work being done by a group of often-unseen volunteers.

MARTIN GIRASH

“The town did a fabulous job of putting together a wide range of people,” he said. “It’s an honour to chair this group.”

Mayor MacDonald and Councillor John Hammond also sit on the committee, which takes on the role of being a catalyst for helping seniors in the community.

HILDA MacDONALD

JOHN HAMMOND

The committee brings ideas and concerns to council through their monthly meetings, serving in an advisory capacity.

Other committee members include Melissa Bloomfield, Margaret Ingratta, Christine Lehn, Linda Tiessen and Linda Thiessen-Belch, all of whom have been instrumental in helping seniors in this community in recent years. Angela O’Toole is the staff liaison.

Girash, a retired child psychologist and former CEO of Windsor Regional Hospital, is very proud of the work his committee has been able to accomplish throughout the COVID pandemic.

They’ve been meeting virtually every month, whereas they would normally meet in person every three months.

Recently, they’ve been behind a couple of initiatives to help local seniors cope with the COVID pandemic, namely helping with vaccine registration at the Half Century Centre and transportation to-and-from vaccine appointments provided through South Essex Community Council.

Girash cites the individual specialties of the committee members as a huge bonus for Leamington.

MELISSA BLOOMFIELD

Melissa Bloomfield is a Seniors Advocate who is a Retirement Living Consultant with Chartwell Leamington, while Linda Tiessen is the former administrator at theLeamington Mennonite Home and heavily involved with SECC.

CHRISTINE LEHN

Christine Lehn is the Executive Director of the Leamington Half Century Centre, while Margaret Ingratta has been involved in the local greenhouse vegetable industry for many years and is now the chief agronomist for Sollum Technologies. Linda Thiessen-Belch is a nurse educator with Leamington Family Health team and specializes in diabetic education.

MARGARET INGRATTA

“As you can see, they all bring something valuable to the table,” said Girash.

With objectives such as engagement with seniors, education and partnering with agencies, the dedicated group is now busy developing an overall plan for Leamington’s older set.

LINDA THIESSEN-BELCH

“There are a lot of agencies that are doing really good work,” said Girash.

Girash points to loneliness as one of the concerns of seniors, especially during these difficult times. Those who live alone need support from their peers and friends.

“It only takes a phone call or two a week to stay in touch,” he said.

LINDA TIESSEN

Those same seniors need access to medical appointments as well.

In the next few months, they will be working as hard as ever, as the community begins to emerge from under the pandemic cloud.

ANGELA O’TOOLE

If you are a senior with a concern or suggestions, Martin Girash suggests you put it in writing and send it by mail to the Municipal Building in Leamington, marked Seniors Advisory Committee. The address is 111 Erie Street North, Leamington, N8H 2Z9.

The Sun will be running monthly updates from the Seniors Advisory Committee, which will outline the work they are doing to make life better for seniors in Leamington and surrounding area. Those monthly updates are expected to start soon.