A huge thank you goes out to Rotary Club of Goderich for supporting our Lonely No More program. We greatly appreciate the interest and support we have received from local organizations such as yourselves in partnering with us to combat loneliness among our senior citizens. If you know of someone who might be interested in participating or volunteering in the program please give us a call at 519 612 1053. 

The Remarkable Citizens Awards were held this past Wednesday and was hosted by Huron-Bruce MPP Lisa Thompson. Gateway's President, Gwen Devereaux was among the nominees. We would like to congratulate all the individuals who were nominated for this honor. 

Gateway will be hosting a speaker series this year. Our first event will be held at the Huron County Museum on March 8th. At this event there will be a silent auction, food, beverages, local entertainment, and booths by local Women's NFP organizations. Tickets for this event are $25 and can be purchased at Gateway, Fincher's (The Square, Goderich) and Eventbrite. We hope to see you there. 

 What is the Lonely No More Program?
The Lonely No More Program consists of weekly Elder Circles, a teleconference call between isolated seniors, facilitated by trained community members (volunteers). ​Our program hopes to reach rural seniors across 5 target counties: Lambton, Huron, Perth, Bruce and Grey. Elder circles are a great place for seniors to develop social networks without having to face the weather or lack of transportation. Elder circles also empower community members to become peer advocates for isolated and at-risk seniors. We also offer one to one support by trained volunteers. 

Program Details 
Currently, we have one Elder Circle that is running on Monday nights at 6:30 pm. The last call for this Elder Circle is scheduled for March but we are open to extending the program if enough interest is gained. There are 2 social opportunities offered during the programs 8 week duration: a Tea & Coffee social in February and a trip to a Museum in March. There is also a guest speaker that will be sharing some history on Northern Ontario's unique railcar school system at one of the weekly calls! 

How do I become apart of the program? 
If you are interested, we do have room in Monday's Elder Circle for more seniors to join in. We can also create Elder Circles if we need. If you are interested give us a call at 519 612 1053. We look forward to chatting with you. 

​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!