Home Instead Senior Care In The News

Program for isolated seniors looking for Santas

Katie Daubs, The Ottawa Citizen, Published: Saturday, November 15, 2008

In the midst of a faltering economy, one Ottawa home care company is hoping people will still be in a giving spirit this Christmas and spare $20 to buy a present for an isolated senior.

"There are a lot of seniors who have no family in town, and no one to visit them. ... It's more depressing when they don't have support. This makes them feel that somebody cares," said Lesley Sullivan, the owner of Home Instead Senior Care, the company organizing the initiative.

The Be a Santa to a Senior program is new to Ottawa -- and joins the already existing Christmas Smiles for Seniors in its efforts to ensure no senior feels forgotten.

The program has been run in other Canadian and U.S. cities for the last five years, where 250,000 gifts have been distributed. In Ottawa, there are 400 seniors to buy for, but Mrs. Sullivan says if more than 400 gifts are received, there are other seniors living in low-income apartment buildings and retirement homes that would be happy to receive them.

The homecare centre has contacted organizations that know recipients and the kind of gifts they might like. A Christmas tree at the Carlingwood Mall has been set up with small tags describing the kind of gifts people can buy and return to the tree for distribution.

It's a modest wish list: Scrabble games, fleece throws, grocery gift cards.

People who would like to help out can visit the Christmas tree at the Carlingwood Mall for more information.

No sex talk for boomers, aging parents

Giving up driving also off limits, but discussing death OK, survey finds  -  Shannon Proudfoot, The Ottawa Citizen, Published: Tuesday, January 22, 2008.

Night Fright - when the sun goes down 

OTTAWA, SEPTEMBER 19, 2006 -- During the day, dementia sends an 86-year-old woman into bouts of confusion but it's worse at night. She awakes in the dark, is terrified and doesn't know where she is or who's with her. Another woman the same age also fears the night. She is paranoid about who might know she lives alone and if they'll break into her home. Causes for these fears can be physical or psychological, but night can be a frightening time for seniors, especially those living alone.

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