Sudbury’s Parkside Centre is preparing to reopen
Sudbury's Parkside Centre, which offers programs to those ages 50 and older and younger people with a disability, is preparing to reopen.
It’s been a difficult year and a half for the staff and members of the Parkside Centre. They’ve only been able to offer services online, but in a few short weeks, the doors will be open to seniors again.
“I know we have some very regular people who come in almost every day and I think a lot of those would have not ever taken a break,” said John Richer, manager of the Parkside Centre. “There’s a lot of people who are sort of at their end with the lockdowns and shutdowns and they really need more human contact.”
As a way to interact with members, staff created a virtual program called Without Walls.
“We offer our programs over the Internet through Zoom, or Facebook live or that sort of thing. We also have telephone-only options for people who don’t have computer access,” said Richer. “So, we have those programs going on weekly.
Richer said the virtual programs will still be an option once the centre reopens.
In the past year and a half, the centre said it has seen more than 1,300 people access the virtual programs. One of those members is Delores Higgins. She has been a member at the Parkside a Centre for more than two decades.
Higgins said when the pandemic initially hit, it was hard, but the virtual programs helped her and many others to avoid feeling isolated.
“It’s been a Godsend, and I say that on behalf of a lot of seniors that I’ve talked to, including myself, because we were so isolated and have been with the lockdowns, the openings, things closed forever it seems and it’s like a light at the end of the tunnel,” said Higgins.
One of the programs she has taken part in is called Coffee Talk.
“I could be talking to someone from Timmins, or from Garson and I may never meet them, but yet we’re talking like old friends and I think it’s very helpful and very healthy for us seniors that are sort of locked in,” she said.
The centre is set to reopen on Oct. 1 and everyone attending must be fully vaccinated.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. tenants evicted for landlord's use after refusing large rent increase to take over neighbouring suite
Ashley Dickey and her mother rented part of the same Coquitlam duplex in three different decades under three different landlords.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
Body of Quebec man who died in Cuba found in Russia, family confirms
A Montreal-area family confirmed to CTV News that the body of their loved one who died while on vacation in Cuba is being repatriated to Canada after it was mistakenly sent to Russia.
Expert warns of food consumption habits amid rising prices
A new survey by Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab asked Canadians about their food consumption habits amid rising prices.
Saskatchewan isn't remitting the carbon tax on home heating. Why isn't my province following suit?
After Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the federal government would still send Canada Carbon Rebate cheques to Saskatchewan residents, despite Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe's decision to stop collecting the carbon tax on natural gas or home heating, questions were raised about whether other provinces would follow suit. CTV News reached out across the country and here's what we found out.
Montreal actress calls Weinstein ruling 'discouraging' but not surprising
A Montreal actress, who has previously detailed incidents she had with disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, says a New York Court of Appeals decision overturning his 2020 rape conviction is 'discouraging' but not surprising.
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
RCMP officers had no legal authority to enter man's home, make arrest: B.C. court
A B.C. man has been found not guilty of assaulting two RCMP officers – with the court finding he was resisting an "unlawful entry and arrest" in his home before he was tasered, taken down and hauled away in handcuffs.