Visit a local senior with Red Cross program

The Canadian Red Cross wants to decrease the amount of social isolation faced by area seniors. That’s the goal behind the Friendly Visiting Program, run by the Canadian Red Cross, which hopes to see more people involved in the Yorkton area.

Andrea Leclair, Friendly Visiting Coordinator, says they’re looking for both volunteers and seniors who would benefit from visits. The program has been operating since June, but they want to get larger numbers involved.

The volunteers can be anyone with extra time they can spend visiting seniors in the community, by spending about an hour a week visiting a local senior. They have to be over 18 in order to have the criminal record check and vulnerable sector check required to be a Red Cross volunteer.

They are also looking for people to participate in the program. Aiming for people over 65, people can come forward themselves, but Leclair also encourages people to recommend people in the community who they feel could benefit from a friendly visit to the program.

“It could be someone who lives alone, is widowed, the family doesn’t live in the community anymore or in close proximity. It could be someone who lives on their own and is just in need of a friendly face to come and brighten their day.”

It’s a simple idea, Leclair says, and it’s often something people do naturally when they are aware of a vulnerable senior in their area. What the Red Cross wants to do is have a way to connect people and make seniors in the community who need a visit to feel less vulnerable.

“It’s a really simplistic idea of just visiting, people do it on their own. It’s great to have a platform in place with training for that, and that people are responding to that.”

Part of the campaign to raise awareness of the program involved a presentation to city council. The response was enthusiastic from council members, with councillor Aaron Kienle noting that this was the first time he had heard of the program, but that it’s something he has done on his own when he has heard of vulnerable seniors. To Leclair, the presentation to council was a way to get more people aware of the program they offer.

“It’s my understanding that the people on council are involved in the community in various aspects, and I thought that they would be good people to hear about our program.”

Anyone interested in the program, whether they are volunteering, signing up for visits or recommending another person is invited to contact Leclair at (306)216-6602 or visit [email protected].