And what better name than Keeping Seniors Connected?
The program sees people from Moose Jaw and beyond writing e-mail letters to seniors who live in residences in the community, with those snippets of modern life curated and then sent on to places like Chez Nous, The Bentley and other homes for the elderly. From there, they’re distributed and offer their recipients an extra way to keep in touch with the outside world in these trying times.
“I think it’s a great program and we’re always trying to get more people to receive and more people to write,” said Christine Boyczuk with the Friendly Age Committee.
“It’s really about keeping people connected to other people while they were in their homes, and if we have to cut back again where people are being isolated, this will be even more important.”
Most regular participants write once a week, but letters are welcome any time. The e-mails are sent to keepingseniorsconnected@gmail.com, and can cover literally any topic — day-to-day activities, fun stories, interesting anecdotes, whatever might be interesting in your life at the moment.
“You can write about anything, like right now, how there’s so much snow to shovel,” Boyczuk said with a laugh. “That’s what I wrote about this week.”
The plan now is to have seniors who are in their own homes and might like to receive letters also become part of the program.
“So that’s the purpose of getting it out and about, so that more people will have the opportunity to receive the letters and more will have the opportunity to write if they wish,” Boyczuk said. “It’s turned into a great program, and everyone seems to enjoy getting the letters.”
Anyone with questions about the program or interested in writing a letter can send it to the above address, which goes the same for anyone interested in receiving letters — send off a message to keepingseniorsconnected@gmail.com and they will get you set up.
