4Korners' move to Zoom helped seniors combat COVID loneliness
CBC
During the month of December, CBC will be working with 4Korners to showcase stories of people in our community who are making a difference for our "Make the Season Kind" campaign. For more stories and to learn more about this campaign, visit cbc.ca/bekindqc and make a donation here.
Even if she doesn't leave home, 68-year-old Lydia Kennedy is busy every single day.
On Mondays and Thursdays she has yoga classes, Tuesdays are for drawing, she paints on Wednesdays and attends Friday workshops — all on Zoom. Based in Deux-Montagnes, a Quebec municipality just northwest of Montreal, 4Korners has been keeping seniors busy throughout the pandemic from the safety of their own homes.
"When I was introduced to Zoom, it gave me motivation to continue doing activities and not just sitting at home watching TV and doing nothing," said Kennedy.
She also made friends all over the province through the 4Korners activities that she otherwise would never have met in the Laurentians community of Pine Hill, where she lives.
"It's a socialization that was desperately needed in COVID," she said. "I truly believe that it really helped me tremendously because I'm a very social person."
When COVID hit, the 4Korners staff had to find a way to keep their programs running, though they couldn't meet in person. Like many, they turned to Zoom. But, getting the seniors' activities going took a lot of patience for everyone.
To help them understand how to use Zoom, "I was spending many, many days and hours on the phone with seniors," said Melanie Wilson, the coordinator for seniors and caregivers.
She'd lay out her laptop, cell phone, and iPad on her desk and guide each person through the downloading and signing up process. She would help them through the specific instructions for their device and any technical issues like accessing the webcam.
"It was a trying time," said Wilson.
But by April, 4Korners had their online programs up and running. As more and more people joined, they expanded their activities and now have several per day.
Because people didn't have to leave their homes, they new members from all over the province joined in. Those with mobility issues could also participate.
Participants have time to chat among themselves for half an hour before and after each activity to make friends and share resources. Community support worker Lisa Agombar said people would help each other find handymen, talk about their new dogs and check in on each other.
"It's really heartwarming to see how they're connecting with each other, and how important that is for them to be with other people," said Agombar.
The province and district social services administration boards say plans are in place to ensure people on social assistance do not miss out on benefits as a result of the strike by Canada Post employees.
Near the exit to Truro, N.S., a cluster of colorful tents and a lone RV can be seen alongside Highway 102, some tucked under the overpass for shelter from the elements.
Police and Public Trust, a project of the CBC News Atlantic investigative unit, scrutinizes the largely off-limits police complaint and discipline systems across the region. Journalists are using access to information laws and, in some cases, court challenges to obtain discipline records and data.
Toronto police have arrested a GTA woman who they allege scammed dozens of Taylor Swift fans out of more than $70,000 by promising them tickets that never materialized.
Montreal was, in years past, considered a haven for renters. But those days are long gone.
WARNING: This story details violent events surrounding a fatal police shooting.
It took Gordon Frentz over 14 hours to drive through the snow from Grande Prairie, Alta., this past weekend to compete at this year's Canadian Western Agribition in Regina.
The coroner's inquest into the drug-related deaths of six men in custody at the Hamilton-Wentworth Detention Centre will revisit 2018 recommendations relating to eight other inmate deaths to determine what's been done to implement them, the inquest's lawyer said Monday on the first day of hearings.
Emily Walstrom was expecting to lay her father to rest this month, but instead, she says his cremated remains are stuck in a Canada Post facility in B.C., delayed by the ongoing national postal strike.
A Friday night fire hasn't caused any impact to operations at the Dryden mill, the company said.
With around 55,000 Canada Post workers on strike since Nov.15 and no deal in sight, Toronto businesses say they're gearing up for a tough holiday season.