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South Georgian Bay OHT News 

Local Organizations Invited to Add to Activity Calendar for Free

Local organizations are invited to add activities to the South Georgian Bay Recreation and Social Activities Calendar for Older Adults. The calendar connects older adults to local recreation or social activities to enhance social connections in their community.  

 

“What we’re hearing from older adults is that there are so many different organizational websites, each with their activities on them. This makes it overwhelming and difficult for them to figure out what is available in their community,” says Pam Hillier, Executive Director, 211 Community Connection. “We’re asking organizations to come together to make it really easy for older adults to find the activities they’re looking for.” 

 

In a recent survey conducted by 211 Community Connection, to help inform projects across Simcoe County aimed at connecting seniors to resources and supports, almost 80% of survey participants indicated that they are not as socially active as they would like to be. The majority of respondents wanted to see more opportunities for social/entertainment/games (58.7%), education/learning (58.6%), and exercise/sports (52.9%), but 43% felt they didn’t know where to find out about them. 

 

“Posting an activity or resource for older adults on the recreation and social activities calendar is a great way for organizations to get the information out into the community. It’s free, easy to use, and encourages older adults to get involved and active in their community,” says Sherry Teeter, Community Connection Project Lead, Reducing Senior Isolation. “This calendar makes it easy for older adults to find what they’re looking for because they can find a variety of activities happening in their local community both virtually and in-person all in one place.” 

 

 

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Seniors Survey First Step in Project Connecting Seniors to Social and Community Supports

 

Seniors and their caregivers are encouraged to take part in a survey to help inform a project across the county that aims to connect people to resources and supports to combat social isolation and allow them to become or stay involved in their communities in meaningful ways.

 

Community Connection, a Collingwood-based charity, is overseeing a five-year project, aimed at connecting isolated seniors with social activities and/or volunteer opportunities in their community enabling them to become or stay involved in their community in meaningful ways. The project is guided by a cross-sector leadership table of community members and service providers, including the South Georgian Bay Ontario Health Team (SGB OHT).

 

Seniors (55+) or their caregivers can access the survey by going to www.simcoesurvey.ca or by calling 705-444-0040 extension 246 to complete it over the phone. The survey will also be distributed through community organizations.

 

 

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Pop-Up Vaccine Clinics in Collingwood Make COVID-19 Vaccine Accessible to Residents

 

With vaccine coverage increasing and mass-immunization clinics ramping down, partners and supporters of the South Georgian Bay Ontario Health Team (SGB OHT), including the County of Simcoe, South Georgian Bay Community Health Centre, Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit, and the Collingwood Fire Department went door-to-door in Collingwood in the past week to make the COVID-19 vaccine as accessible as possible to those not yet vaccinated and those needing their second dose.

 

“We’re all working together to make it as easy as possible for those few remaining unvaccinated people to have access to the vaccine,” says Dr. Harry O’Halloran, SGB OHT Chair. “The COVID vaccines are safe and extremely effective. They are the best way to keep our community safe, especially as children (who can’t yet be vaccinated) return to school.”

 

Fire trucks were parked on County of Simcoe managed properties and the Collingwood Fire department went door-to-door offering the vaccine and providing additional information to those who had questions. The pop-up clinics were possible thanks to the generators on those trucks, which kept the vaccines at the right temperature.

 

 

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A Collaboration between Service Providers in the South Georgian Bay Ontario Health Team Aims to Reduce the Impact of Poverty 

 

Thanks to a 3-year, $233,742 grant from United Way Simcoe Muskoka, the South Georgian Bay Ontario Health Team (SGB OHT) is beginning the work on a collaborative project to expand the community’s ability to more easily connect people who are struggling to meet their basic needs, to the services and supports they need.

 

“In the first year of the project, we are working on developing a shared technology platform to allow physicians, health care providers and also community service organizations to make electronic referrals to 2-1-1 for people who are impacted by the social determinants of health,” says Pamela Hillier, Executive Director of Community Connection.  “Like a physician prescribing medicine, this is social prescribing, a structured way of referring people to the broad range of local, non-clinical services such as food resources, transportation services, income supports or even social activities for those who are alone. With their basic needs supported, people can be more focused on their health and wellbeing. We are so thankful to donors in our communities who support the United Way Simcoe Muskoka, for making this work possible.” 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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