Active Aging

8 ACTIVE AGING WEEK | SEPTEMBER 25 - OCTOBER 1, 2016 When older adults play an active role in their communities, everybody benefits — especially children. Paulette Côté learned this powerful lesson when she volunteered to help with projects in African and Mongolian communities. "In those communities, elders are very involved and very respected. The people there valued their seniors, and this really spoke to me. I have been so impressed by the respect the seniors garner as leaders," she says. "A couple of grandmothers were raising their orphan grandchildren and they were so active. They played such a prominent role in their community." Côté, who spent a lot of time with her own grandparents and great-grandparents as a child, was inspired to take these lessons back to her school division. At École Varennes, where she is employed as a community liaison worker, she's helped create a number of programs encouraging seniors in the community to interact with the students. "The impact of our programs is beneficial to the elders in our community and to the children. It's very enriching to kids when they have various generations coming out to spend time with them. They're always learning," she says. École Varennes runs a gardening program that welcomes any older adults who would like to participate. "We like to see some kind of active interaction outdoors between the elders and the children. The seniors can be involved with the gardening in any way they want or can be," says Côté. "We really appreciate wisdom from grandparents and people who have more experience with gardening." She adds that she would love to connect with more grandparents who are interested in gardening. "The kids will go out to the garden over recess and lunch hour and it was great to see that interaction happening," she says. "The grandparents have the opportunity to connect with other children as well, and they can support us in any way they'd like." Another popular offering at the school is the grandparents' reading café, which receives funding from Literacy for Life. "We invite elders from the community to share in the storytelling. They read to the kids and the kids read to them," Côté says. "The kids absolutely love it." Seniors are always welcome to assist with the school's breakfast program, which feeds 60 children every morning. "We're putting out a call for support from parents or grandparents. They can either do some cooking or make sure the students sign in and wash their hands," says Côté. "We also have one grandma who's very involved with our hot lunch program." When it comes to including the community's seniors, École Varennes has been very creative. Older adults knit mittens for the children, teach kids how to volunteer at a local food bank, and contribute to Families and Schools Together events. "We've had grandparents offer to come in and help prepare our programs," Côté adds. "Encouraging their involvement gives our elders a sense of having a place of honour in our communities. In our Western society, we've lost a bit of that. I encourage them to be as involved as they would like." With more single-parent families and families where both parents work outside the home, the role grandparents fill is more crucial than ever before, she says. "At our Family Centre, we're seeing more grandparents who are caregivers. Grandparents have more time to sit and be present with the kids. There's a real unconditional love that's offered, and the kids respond to that." Making the school a more welcoming place for seniors has been a win-win from the very beginning, says Côté. "When they come to the school, the elders are so happy to be with their grandchildren, and the children get to learn about previous generations and what life was like prior to technology — it gives the kids an awareness and another dimension." In time, Côté hopes everyone will see the value of older adults and the skills and wisdom they have to contribute. "I suspect it will take many years to see the fruition of my dreams for our school community, but I am in for the long haul. I'm really excited to be part of a wonderful initiative by the Louis Riel School Division, creating community liaison positions in many of their schools." Connecting our elders BY HOLLI MONCRIEFF École Varennes runs a gardening program that facilitates active interaction between elders and children at the school. PHOTOS BY PAULETTE CÔTÉ ÉCOLE VARENNES RUNS A GARDENING PROGRAM THAT WELCOMES ANY OLDER ADULTS WHO WOULD LIKE TO PARTICIPATE.

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