Supporting Strong Age-friendly Communities

NOTE: A list of grant recipients follows this release.

Older Nova Scotians are valued and inspiring members of our communities.

An investment of more than $248,000 through the Age Friendly Community Grants program will support 22 organizations who are working to help older Nova Scotians lead healthy and active lives and stay involved in their communities.

“For many older Nova Scotians, the impacts of social isolation, access to support resources and mental health concerns have been especially acute during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Seniors Minister Leo Glavine. “These projects will help older Nova Scotians overcome social isolation, and help them stay active, healthy and engaged in their communities.”

One of the grant recipients, Dr. Kingston Memorial Community Health Centre, will use $9,930 to support their Holiday for Happiness initiative. This project will provide groups of seniors and seniors living in their own homes a holiday meal delivered to them, and an opportunity to learn about holiday traditions of different cultures and faiths.

Organizations that have an idea to help create more age-friendly and inclusive communities, especially during the pandemic, can still apply for funding. Applications are open until February 1. Businesses and individuals are not eligible. For more information and to apply, visit http://novascotia.ca/age-friendly-grant

Quotes:

“We are pleased to be given this opportunity to partner with our communities in support of our seniors as we are in the second wave of COVID-19. We understand this is a stressful and challenging time for many and appreciate this funding will go a long way to support the mental health and resiliency of our senior population.”

– Sherry Sampson, Dr. Kingston Memorial Community Health Centre

Quick Facts:

• provincewide projects can receive up to $25,000 and smaller-scale community projects can receive up to $10,000

Additional Resources:

Lists of previous grant projects are available at: https://novascotia.ca/age-friendly-grant/recipients.asp

The following is the list of grant recipients:

• Dr. Kingston Memorial Community Health Centre: $9,930 for their Holiday for Happiness project
• Dr. Kingston Memorial Community Health Centre: $9,815 for providing an online interactive series for seniors, Doing What Matters in Times of Stress: An Illustrated Guide
• Oxford Pioneer Heritage Club: $5,000 for a tablet loan program and technology training, and creative and community-based activities for low income seniors
• Paradise Active Healthy Living Society: $2054.23 for inclusive social activities for racially diverse persons, and persons of 2SLGBTQ+ community
• Siudaic Air an Urlar Historical and Cultural Society: $9,955 for workshops demonstrating traditional uses for wild and foraged foods
• The Rising Tide New Horizon Group: $3,000 for fidget blankets for those with Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia, autism spectrum disability and attention deficit disorder
• Conseil des arts de Cheticamp: $20,000 for a video series sharing multiple generations playing Acadian music
• Centre communautaire francophone de Truro: $10,000 to work with musicians to visit long-term care homes to write and perform music based on the lives of the residents
• East Preston Empowerment Academy: $10,000 for training seniors in the Preston Township communities on the use of technology like computers, tablets, social media and email
• Town of Middleton: $6,000 to conduct a needs assessment of the community, focusing on the senior population and vulnerable sector
• St. Margaret’s Bay Community Enterprise Centre: $10,000 to connect older community members with new profit, not-for-profit and/or social enterprise ventures to provide mentorship
• Delmore Buddy Daye Learning Institute: $10,000 to provide Africentric Governance training to community leaders
• Aging 2.0: $25,000 to connect senior business owners and seniors-led social enterprises with business leaders through a virtual platform
• Cape Breton Regional Municipality, Recreation Department: $6,250 for a community garden project
• Hike Nova Scotia Society: $23,325 to establish walking groups and support and train their leaders and participants
• Municipality of East Hants: $5,000 to provide an indoor space for walking and wheelchair use during the cold months
• Musquodoboit Valley Family Resource Centre: $9,992 for providing a monthly home delivered meal and activity to seniors in the community
• Nova Scotia Hospice Palliative Care Association: $20,000 to work with their Indigenous community partners to empower seniors to have discussions about their health and personal care wishes
• Mahone Bay Centre Society: $8,501 to work with Fluid Motion Physiotherapy to provide accessible evidence-based education and exercise programming for those with hip and/or knee osteoarthritis
• Trips By Transit: $10,000 to create age-friendly opportunities to access nature in Halifax Regional Municipality
• Volunteer Resource Centre (New Dawn Meals on Wheels): $25,000 to develop and distribute best practices and shared technology that enhance the emergence, stability and sustainability of Meals on Wheels programs
• Direction Générale RANE: $10,000 to create cultural villages in long-term care homes by organizing activities so that senior residents stay connected to their Acadian-francophone community