​De Jager IDA has been a strong supporter of Gateway Centre of Excellence in Rural Health through the years.  John and Lisa focus on supporting Health related organizations and activities in the area. 
 
Pictured accepting the donation are, left to right,  Dan Stringer, Treasurer of Gateway CERH, John De Jager President and CEO of De Jager Town Square IDA Pharmacy and Nancy Simpson, Board Secretary and Chair of Sustainable Funding for Gateway CERH.

Did you know that the Lonely No More program will be returning this January?

The Lonely No More Program aims to combat social isolation among rural seniors by providing them an opportunity to socialize once a week in a peer group setting using a teleconference line facilitated by one of our volunteers. We wanted to have this social setting occur over the phone so that those individuals who have difficulties making it out to social settings, due to medical issues or lack of transportation, can still participate and benefit from the program. We hope to run this program for 8 weeks and are open to extending the duration if participants and volunteers would like to continue. We hope to positively impact elderly, isolated and at-risk populations within 5 target counties: Huron, Perth, Bruce, Grey and Lambton.
 
This program is supported by Gateway Centre of Excellence in Rural Health and the University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy (research partner). Our program will be coordinated by Sarah Versteeg who works at both overseeing organizations (Gateway and University of Waterloo) and the program is being lead by a qualified Health Coach, Sheila Schuehlein. 

It's not too late to become involved! We have room for more volunteers and senior participants. If you are interested in learning more please email our Program Coordinator Sarah Versteeg at sarah@gatewayruralhealth.ca

Thank you IODE (Maple Leaf Chapter) for making a donation to our Lonely No More program relaunch! 

Lonely No Program (LNM) is a peer-based program that aims to reduce social isolation in rural seniors. The pilot for this program was successfully launched this past year and based on the positive feedback found we are in the process of relaunching the program.   

The LNM Program aims to strengthen and expand social connections of rural seniors by improving opportunities for participation in existing social support networks and building new social support networks. This program also empowers community members to become peer advocates for isolated and at-risk seniors by proving seniors access to services and resources, initiating one-on-one engagement and encouraging healthy behaviors. The program consists of weekly Elder Circles, a teleconference call between isolated seniors that is facilitated by trained community members (volunteers). These Circles create a safe space to develop social networks among seniors who may not otherwise have access to social settings either through a lack of access (e.g., transportation) or for other medical reasons (e.g., disability). 
 
Since, socially isolated seniors are more likely to be victims of elder abuse and are at risk of negative psychological and physiological health effects, we know loneliness can impact the health status of seniors and their quality of life. We are currently in the process of recruiting participants, volunteers and collecting donations.  If you are interested in becoming involved in the LNM program please contact Sarah Versteeg, Lonely No More's Program Coordinator at 519  612 1053 or sarah@gatewayruralhealth.ca. 

Photo Caption: OCFP Awards Committee Chair, Dr. Amy Catania, right, presented Goderich’s Dr. Paul Gill, left, with the Award of Excellence at the 2019 OCFP Awards Ceremony in Toronto on November 28.

Our very own Chair of Rural Pain Medicine, Paul Gill, has been recently award the Award of Excellence by the Ontario College of Family Medicine. 

“Dr. Gill’s leadership has been instrumental in bringing together many players in the healthcare system in Southwestern Ontario to maximize efficiencies and in creating a go-to resource for patients that enhances patient self-management skills, His vision and dedication have had a beneficial impact on his peers and on patients, and it is our pleasure to celebrate his contributions and achievements with this award.”
- Dr. Jennifer Young, President, Ontario College of Family Physicians. 

Congratulations Paul! 

With all this snow it can be quite difficult to get out and about. The Lonely No More program might be the solution to your winter blues. 

The Lonely No More program consisted of weekly Elder Circles, a teleconference call between isolated seniors that is facilitated by trained community members (volunteers). These circles were a great place to develop social networks among fellow seniors. We would like to offer this program again this winter. If you are interested in participating in the program, becoming a volunteer or donating financially to this program please contact us at the details above. 

Agriculture plays a vital role in our community, and is a driving factor in our local economy. It is important for our residents, including children, to understand the importance of farmers in our community.
 
In October 2019, students from a local grade 2/3 class were asked two questions: 

1. Where does food come from?

The students pulled items from their lunch, and brainstormed where they think each item may have came from. This allowed the students to think through all the processes it took to get the food to them. For example, they identified that pickles came from cucumbers, and those cucumbers were grown in the ground by farmers.
 

1. What do farmers do?

Together the class created a list of what a day in the life of a farmer might look like. They then added ‘but what ifs...’ to help students think of the challenges and struggles a farmer might face in their day. For example, they identified that the farmer must harvest their crop, and discussed the issues of bad weather, or machinery breakdown.
 
The students also created artwork of what a farmer looks like to them. Students included things like animals, machinery, barns, and trucks. These activities allowed students to develop a better understanding of the important role farmers, and the agricultural community has in our counties. 

Gateway has been nominated for the 2019 Downtown Goderich BIA Award!

It is a honor to be nominated among such amazing local organizations and we would like to thank those who continuously and tirelessly enhance the quality of health and the welfare of our community. We hope to continue to work alongside these organizations and improve the quality of life of our rural residents. 

 On Wednesday, October 2, Heather Mair spoke on Gateway's Grand Sparks Summer Day Camp at the CRRF 2019 Conference held in St. John's, Newfoundland. Her talk, entitled "Understanding Intergenerational Activity in Rural Ontario: The Case of the Grand Sparks Summer Day Camp", was well received and contained lots of fun photos taken by the summer camp kids.

Grand Sparks is a one-week day camp that provides grandparents the opportunity to enjoy interactive outdoor activities with their grandkids. It has been successfully run for a number of years now and we love putting smiles on both grandparents and grandkids alike. To learn more about our program click here: http://www.grandsparks.com/