Young children and senior residents from Shawville’s two long-term care homes spent an hour on Monday morning enjoying each others’ company during an event organized by CISSSO staff to raise awareness about elder abuse.
Residents from the Pontiac Reception Centre (CAP) were joined in the building’s basement by seniors from both the hospital’s long-term care unit and from the hospital’s day program, which brings seniors still living at home together a few times a week.
Children from the Bambinos Universe daycare filled the middle of the room, laughing and playing with purple balloons that had been . . .
dumped on their heads.
“It’s an awareness day, just to make more people aware of it to try and prevent it from happening,” said Jessica Cox, general manager of the CAP, explaining elder abuse can take different forms, including verbal, physical, and financial abuse.
“And it’s an appreciation day too for our elders,” Cox said. “[The residents] love seeing the kids, and it sensitizes the kids too to not be afraid of elderly folks’ homes.”
Lisa Mohr brought her mother, a resident of the long-term care unit since Oct. 2023, to partake in the action.
“I think it’s a great activity for my mom, to meet other people,” Mohr said. “I know even though she can’t communicate, to see the kids playing will make her whole day.”
Cox said the original plan for the morning was to do a walk to raise awareness in the community, to honour Elder Abuse Awareness Day on June 15, but unfavourable weather conditions persuaded the organizers to move the event indoors.
“They do a big walk in the city and we’re like ‘Oh we’re never a part of that’,” Cox said.
“Maybe next year we’ll have better weather.”
