Building Relationships

Doing things together benefits us and the person we are spending quality time with. Older adults are at risk of social isolation, and this is a factor that greatly affects their healthy aging. Many organizations provide a variety of programs and services to help older adults build and maintain relationships. Some are offered in your home such as Senior Centre Without Walls telephone activities and friendly visits or calls.

Building relationships is also about building community. Encouraging neighbours to support each other and local businesses to support older adult customers is being promoted in the greater Peterborough area.

Building relationships resources

Senior Centre Without Walls telephone program

Through the use of multi-person phone calls, Senior Centre Without Walls provides the opportunity for participants to enjoy health and wellness seminars, educational lectures, brain-stimulating activities, join general conversations, and make new and meaningful friendships - all from the comfort of home!

Neighbours for Neighbours

Bring back a sense of community and be Neighbours for Neighbours. If you know an older adult who lives in your neighbourhood, think about how you can make their day.

Print off the Neighbour Card and put it in their mailbox introducing yourself, how you can help and include your phone number. Can you pick up groceries? Do yard work? Walk a dog? Call for a daily check-in? 

Friendly phone calls and visits

Community Care Peterborough offers weekly friendly phone calls and/or visits from volunteers to help build meaningful relationships and provide security and opportunities for socialization for older adults. To sign up for this service, visit Community Care's service application form, or call: 705-742 7067.

Peterborough Senior Service Directory

Many home care providers offer friendly visiting services. They are listed on the Peterborough Senior Service Directory.

Ending ageism

Ageism refers to two concepts: a socially constructed way of thinking about older persons based on negative attitudes and stereotypes about aging.

Prior to 2017, Age-friendly Peterborough was called the Peterborough Council on Aging. A video on ending ageism was developed and although it is a few years old, the message is still relevant.

Age-friendly businesses

An Age-friendly Business Guide has been designed to provide insight into the older adult market and to provide practical, no-cost, and low-cost tips to assist businesses in reaching and engaging the growing market of older adults. The Age-friendly Business Task Force is developing a program that includes a workshop, an age-friendly self-assessment tool, and recognition strategy. The objective of the program is to train staff how to engage older adult customers, especially those with dementia and other health issues, and how to make the physical environment safe and comfortable. AFP will publicly recognize businesses who participate in the program and take steps to become more age-friendly. The Age-friendly Business Program will resume soon.