The town of Lincoln is offering a new and free seniors program designed to reduce social isolation and keep seniors connected.
Seniors’ Centre Without Walls (SCWW) is a free, interactive, telephone-based group activity program that connects older adults 50 and older to a variety of recreational activities, health and wellness talks and informative and friendly conversations.
It is designed to help older adults, who are experiencing isolation and find it difficult or are unable to participate in activities, to stay socially connected in-person or virtually.
Participants can make connections using the phone in their own home. Sessions are typically 30 to 40 minutes long and are run weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly, and some are one-time feature presentation events. Each session hosts an average of 10 to 15 people per call.
SCWW was developed by the Older Adult Centres’ Association of Ontario (OACAO) and is supported by the Ministry of Seniors and Accessibility as a means to help people stay connected to their communities through telephone-based social and educational programs.
This program has been gradually rolled out across the province since the beginning of the pandemic to ensure access to regular and consistent healthy-aging programming for older adults. Lincoln will be the fourth municipality in Niagara to offer this alternative method of programming, joining St. Catharines, Pelham and Welland.