4Korners' move to Zoom helped seniors combat COVID loneliness
CBC
During the month of December, CBC will be working with 4Korners to showcase stories of people in our community who are making a difference for our "Make the Season Kind" campaign. For more stories and to learn more about this campaign, visit cbc.ca/bekindqc and make a donation here.
Even if she doesn't leave home, 68-year-old Lydia Kennedy is busy every single day.
On Mondays and Thursdays she has yoga classes, Tuesdays are for drawing, she paints on Wednesdays and attends Friday workshops — all on Zoom. Based in Deux-Montagnes, a Quebec municipality just northwest of Montreal, 4Korners has been keeping seniors busy throughout the pandemic from the safety of their own homes.
"When I was introduced to Zoom, it gave me motivation to continue doing activities and not just sitting at home watching TV and doing nothing," said Kennedy.
She also made friends all over the province through the 4Korners activities that she otherwise would never have met in the Laurentians community of Pine Hill, where she lives.
"It's a socialization that was desperately needed in COVID," she said. "I truly believe that it really helped me tremendously because I'm a very social person."
When COVID hit, the 4Korners staff had to find a way to keep their programs running, though they couldn't meet in person. Like many, they turned to Zoom. But, getting the seniors' activities going took a lot of patience for everyone.
To help them understand how to use Zoom, "I was spending many, many days and hours on the phone with seniors," said Melanie Wilson, the coordinator for seniors and caregivers.
She'd lay out her laptop, cell phone, and iPad on her desk and guide each person through the downloading and signing up process. She would help them through the specific instructions for their device and any technical issues like accessing the webcam.
"It was a trying time," said Wilson.
But by April, 4Korners had their online programs up and running. As more and more people joined, they expanded their activities and now have several per day.
Because people didn't have to leave their homes, they new members from all over the province joined in. Those with mobility issues could also participate.
Participants have time to chat among themselves for half an hour before and after each activity to make friends and share resources. Community support worker Lisa Agombar said people would help each other find handymen, talk about their new dogs and check in on each other.
"It's really heartwarming to see how they're connecting with each other, and how important that is for them to be with other people," said Agombar.
Winter can be tough to bear. Even more so if you’re homeless.
Two future national First Nations leaders, a deputy premier and a city councillor are among the prominent Manitobans who appear in declassified intelligence files from years of RCMP spying on the Indigenous rights movement in the Cold War era.
Saskatoon city hall administration is planning to "refresh" the funding strategy for the proposed $1.2-billion downtown arena district amid a lack of commitments from higher levels of government.
A report of fraud tied to a walleye derby is under investigation after Montreal Lake Cree Nation said a participant allegedly violated derby rules and was asked to leave the fishing area.
An Edmonton architectural firm says it is in talks with the provincial government to potentially redevelop the former Royal Alberta Museum.
Does junior football have a future in Prince George?
People are descending upon the city for the dozens of events and live music performances this week as the Juno Awards are set to take place Sunday at Hamilton's TD Coliseum.
For nearly two decades, Amanda Loewen's world ended where the pavement did.
The notion that home ownership guarantees financial security in old age is being challenged by a recent survey.
The family of Nash Prystie has identified him as the man who died in an Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) shooting earlier this month north of Kenora, and is calling for more and quicker help for people with mental health challenges.
Playoff action in the Ontario Hockey League gets underway Thursday night for Guelph and Friday in Kitchener.
UPEI wants its faculty to sign on to an updated version of its sexual assault and discrimination policy, but the union that represents the school's academic staff says it wants the policies to be part of its collective agreement.
In Texas this week for a global energy conference, the federal natural resources minister is proclaiming "Canada is back" and ready to bolster its energy sector and grow exports.