A pilot project in Jasper which aims to connect local seniors with other area residents could become a model for the rest of the province, especially if more people get involved.

The Community Neighbours Program is designed to “to help ease daily living for seniors” but its goals go beyond just that. The idea is to build long-term, ongoing relationships between members of different generations within the community, said Amy Wilcox, a seniors outreach worker with Jasper Community Outreach and Family Services.

“I think sometimes the stigma may be that it’s for people who are lower mobility or people who are really lonely and that’s not necessarily the case,” Wilcox said of the program.

Rather, she said, the service is aimed primarily at seniors who are living relatively independent lives in their own homes and who are simply in need of a little extra support from time to time.

“It could be anything from playing cards ... to assisting with shopping for groceries, going to the drugstore, going for a walk and having a tea or coffee, taking them to doctors appointments – anything,” Wilcox said.

Jasper Community Outreach and Family Services is currently seeking additional volunteers to participate in the program and the group also wants to raise awareness of it among local seniors, themselves.

“We want them to know that this service is there,” Wilcox said.

A typical volunteer would get together with a local senior for about one to three hours, one or two days day a week. The number of hours and the types of activities can vary depending on the individuals involved, Wilcox noted, and volunteers shouldn’t necessarily expect to be taking part in slower-paced activities just because they are paired with older adults.

“Everybody here is so active, so outgoing,” Wilcox said. “I find some senior citizens who are hiking and biking and just so out there and so active – more so than some 25 year olds that I know.”

The Community Neighbours Program was given its name in part because it’s designed to tap into the existing network of neighbourly support that’s already out there in the community, said Kathleen Waxer, director of Jasper Community Outreach and Family Services.

“The volunteer piece is happening naturally with long-term, next-door neighbours or friends or things like that, but I think at times the structured program is a wonderful addition and provides more links to people who might be a little bit isolated,” Waxer said. “I think one of the wonderful things here is that we’ve got some amazing volunteers and people who are waiting for the opportunity to be connected with someone.”

The program was established a couple of years ago when Alberta Health and Wellness decided it wanted to explore more personal ways of delivering services to the province’s older residents.

“We’re one of two pilot projects in the province,” Waxer said. “We were approached by Alberta Health and Wellness because they were interested in piloting what services embedded in the community would look like for seniors. Alberta’s bit has really had more of a history of offering services to seniors more in the form of booklets and grab bars and physical things, as opposed to people.”

The program isn’t just about building one-way relationships, either. Waxer said younger volunteers, in particular, have a lot to gain by participating.

“It would be a wonderful way for them to connect to the older population as well,” she said. “Sometimes the way Jasper rolls out, it can be a bit isolating to be a be a young adult.”

Wilcox agreed, based on her own experience. 

“One of the most enjoyable parts of my job is getting to know the people who lived in the community long before I ever came along,” she said. “They’ve kind of carved the path for a lot of other people to be able to have the style of living that they have or have the services, the modernizations that we have here.”

Those interested in getting involved with the Community Neighbours Program can contact Wilcox at awilcox@town.jasper.ab.ca or 780-852-6537. Applicants must undergo a criminal record check and submit personal references before being paired with a local senior.

“We want people who are reliable and dependable and who understand that this is a commitment and someone is relying on them,” she said. “Even though it’s in a volunteer capacity there is an expectation to be there.”