Increasing Health & Wellness Supports | Seniors Wellness Program

In 2019, Connexions hosted one of the many Consultations with organizations serving English-Speaking Quebecers. Connexions was especially pleased to welcome Christopher Skeete, Parliamentary Assistant to the Premier for Relations with English-speaking Quebecers, and a number of community organizations to discuss the needs and concerns of the English-speaking population in the Outaouais. “I appreciated the opportunity to share our regional concerns with Mr. Skeete and how we can improve relations with the Québec government,” said Danielle Lanyi, Executive Director at Connexions. The Seniors Wellness Program addresses one of the priorities identified in this first Consultation with Mr. Skeete and of our six Focus Groups with English-speaking seniors in the Outaouais.

We are excited to share the news that Connexions has launched its Seniors Wellness Program! Following the recent announcement of the Government’s $2.7 million investment over a three-year period, Connexions is proud to take part in a new initiative that will further support isolated and vulnerable English-speaking seniors throughout the Outaouais region. Out of the total being invested, $117,380 will be directed to the Outaouais and support the implementation of the program by Connexions.

“I’m very pleased that this new funding will allow us to increase and broaden the reach of our wellness activities for English-speaking seniors in the region,” said Danielle Lanyi, Connexions’ Executive Director. “We have many informative and fun activities planned this fall, and we look forward to connecting with seniors.”

Modelled on Québec’s existing day centres for seniors, the Seniors Wellness Program will offer a variety of activities, services and educational programs to help seniors stay active, socially engaged, safe and healthy. This is especially important given that 38.2% of the senior population in the Outaouais are at risk of becoming socially-isolated (Gouvernement du Québec, 2017). This is compounded by the low rate of bilingualism in English-speaking seniors, as well as this year’s strict isolation requirements due to COVID-19, making them one of the most vulnerable people in the province.

This government funding will help to achieve four main objectives in the Outaouais: keeping the Senior Wellness Program sustainable, extending its coverage to an area of Québec that is less well served, increasing Connexions’ capacity to serve more seniors, and ensuring the deployment and coordination of new centres in the near future.

Meet our new Regional Coordinator for Seniors Programming and Outreach, Minakho-Renée, who will be leading the Seniors Wellness Program!

Find our about upcoming Webinars and Virtual Workshops for seniors through our Seniors Wellness Program.