New program offered for rural seniors

CORAH is a community hub for area seniors

Wayne St Amour realized there needed to be more opportunities for seniors living in Annapolis and Kings counties to engage and find health information.

The chair of the steering committee — a group comprised of NSCC staff, employees of Senior LINCS based out of Soldier’s Hospital, and Nova Scotia Health staff — worked with the Department of Health and Wellness to secure a grant for the development of a community hub for area seniors.

They offered CORAH (Centre of Rural Aging and Health), a community hub where people find information on healthy practices, active living, healthy relationships and healthy eating.

Heather McCormick was hired shortly after and became the centre’s co-ordinator.

Between October 2020 and April 23, there were 1,702 people registered for the 177 sessions offered at CORAH. Participants were able to attend face-to-face sessions at the NSCC site, but the program had to close on April 26 due to COVID-19. It resumed on July 6, McCormick said.

The program offers a wide variety of presentations and classes, everything from writing and publishing, to a host of health-related topics by local professionals, to art and painting sessions, fitness classes, computer courses, first aid, phone and email scams, agriculture, fishing and forestry practices, housing issues, and start-up stories by local businesses.

It caters to all ages, all ability levels, interests, and it is free, she said.

CORAH also provides business offices for services like RCMP Senior Safety, Hearing Institute Atlantic and foot care nurse Lillian Terrio.

However, transportation was soon realized as a huge barrier for those wishing to attend programs, McCormick said.

“Someone from Cornwallis

Park in Annapolis County or Hantsport in Kings County would have to travel up to 160 kilometres to attend. Since bus transportation is only available through the main corridor of the Valley, many people in rural communities were unable to take part in programming,” she said. “CORAH needed to create community-based hubs to eliminate the barriers of transportation to a central site, to increase the reach of CORAH’s programming and to provide opportunities for older adults to engage in faceto-face interactions in their community."

They "decided that a program, which would virtually connect communities to CORAH, would be a viable option.”

In April 2021, CORAH received $24,000 from the federal government's New Horizon for Seniors Program, to connect the communities of Centreville, Berwick, Port Williams, Cornwallis Park and Centrelea to CORAH programming.

“The project is called ‘Connect 5.’ Each site received a 75-inch Smart TV, mobile stand, laptop, printer and funding for advertising and supplies,” McCormick said, noting attendees need to preregister.

Multiple workshops are being offered at the five satellite sites, she said. The first session went live on July 9 from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., and featured Dr. Ken Buchholz on heart health. He covered heart attacks, strokes, and angina.

Another recent session, hosted on July 13, featured Dr. Buchholz guiding a discussion on options surrounding end-of-life care and palliative care in your home/ hospital.

On July 14, Dr. Julia Locke spoke about vaccines and preventative screening programs, while on July 15, Allyson Evans hosted a session called, “Be a PowerPoint Pro.” On July 16, Susan Saunders did a session called, “Quilts Tell a Story.”

For more information about sessions being offered this summer, visit https://novascotia.ca/news/ release/?id=20200127001 or visit the Facebook page www. facebook.com/CORAHHub.

Tracy Summerville, chair of the Centrelea Community Hall, said CORAH is an important addition to the rural community.

“CORAH will make it possible for people to hear from caregivers and people with special skills to share in the safety of their own community and near their home. Anytime you can bring people together for a shared learning experience, it is absolutely a win-win,” she said. “You can see that the sessions are very interesting and varied.”

As COVID-19 has made it impossible for those in the community hall to meet for lunches, suppers, and craft fairs, the program will add a whole new layer of use for the community hall, she said.

“Centrelea is thrilled to be a part of it,” she said. “We expect that our community will respond with their usual support for community events, which is always enthusiastic.”