A Christmas gift is a sign that isolated seniors aren’t forgotten.
The Seniors Services Society is once again looking to help ensure seniors feel the spirit of Christmas through its annual Santa for Seniors program. The program delivered Christmas presents to about 230 seniors who may have been isolated or alone last year and expects to deliver about 200 gifts this year.
“A senior who may not be getting a gift from anybody at Christmas time will receive a nice little gift tailored to who they are,” said Brian Dodd, the society’s manager of operations. “But it’s also all about connections. Our volunteers and staff will be going out the week of Dec. 18th and personally delivering all these gifts so it’s an opportunity to have someone personally contact you and say, ‘We are thinking about you, have a wonderful Christmas, here is something for you.’ It’s more than just the gift, it’s the connections that we believe are really important.”
In some cases, volunteers will be connecting with folks who are accessing society programs like Meals on Wheels.
“A number of our Meals on Wheels clients are shut-ins. Again, sometimes they are a little bit disconnected from the community,” Dodd said. “They might not have a lot of relatives to drop in on them, especially at Christmas time.”
Year round, the Seniors Services Society offers a variety of housing services and support services such as Meals on Wheels, transportation to medical appointments, support calls, grocery shopping, tax clinics and dining programs to seniors aged 60 and up. Each December, the society hosts the Santa for Seniors program.
“People are really responding to the program. In New Westminster, people are getting accustomed to it which is great,” Dodd said. “They tuck a bucks aside or a day aside where they go out and look for those trees. We had people calling here looking for those trees even before they were up, which is wonderful.”
Anyone wishing to sponsor a senior can visit London Drugs (555 Sixth St.) or the Your Dollar Store With More (811 Carnarvon St.) to pick the name and wish list of a local senior off the tree. Once they’ve completed their shopping, the sponsor can return the gift to the store.
Alternatively, community members can put together a generic package for an elderly man or woman and drop it off at the society’s office at 750 Carnarvon St. Suggested items include toiletries, warm winter gloves and slippers.
“Sometimes it’s a case of out-of-sight out-of-mind, which really bothers us. Just because people are sometimes shut in to their own home because of economics or physical disability or for any reason doesn’t mean that we should forget about them. That’s a big part of who we are as an agency is making those connections,” Dodd said. “Loneliness and isolation should not be something that one faces in their older years.”
To help the Seniors Services Society, contact executive director Kara-Leigh Bloch at [email protected] or 604-520-6621.
