Immigrant and Ethno-cultural Communities
For twenty years we have offered programs and services for immigrant seniors and immigrant women. We’ve written a description of each program – but for more information please call our Seniors Health Worker at (519) 660-0875 x275.
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Seniors’ Home Visiting Program
This program is for immigrant seniors who find it difficult to leave the house, and who may feel alone.
Seniors are partnered with a volunteer from the community with similar interests. Our volunteers speak a variety of languages and come from many different cultural backgrounds. Each volunteer is interviewed and trained very carefully.
The volunteer will visit the senior every week. Together, the senior and the volunteer may talk, go for walks, drink tea, or do activities like knitting, crafts, painting or watching movies.
Seniors’ Drop-in Program
This program takes place in the Oasis Room at 659 Dundas Street. Translation is provided. It is a drop in program; participants do not need to register. All immigrant seniors are welcome to join us for the following activities:
• Health presentations
• Day trips in and around the city
• Friendship
• Light exercise, singing and dancing
• Arts and Crafts
• Community involvement and volunteerism
• Games
Seniors’ Tai Chi
The Tai Chi Program for seniors starts with coffee and social time, followed by an Introduction to Tai Chi taught by a certified volunteer instructor from the Taoist Tai Chi Society of Canada. Seniors will learn the first few moves of the Tai Chi set, an exercise of gentle turning and stretching that can help with flexibility, strength, and balance.
Interpretation is provided by a Health Centre volunteer. No registration is required.
The Tai Chi Program runs every Saturday morning from 10:30 to 11:45 in the Oasis Room at the London InterCommunity Health Centre. Please enter at the back of the building.
For more information about Taoist Tai Chi, please visit www.taoist.org.
Seniors’ WrapAround
The London InterCommunity Health Centre offers a program called Seniors’ WrapAround, funded by the South West Local Health Integration Network as part of its Aging at Home Strategy.
WrapAround, which has been practiced internationally for many years, can be described as a “collaborative, team-based approach to facilitating service and support planning.”
Locally, our partners include:
- Victorian Order of Nurses
- Across Languages
- Council for London Seniors
- Association canadienne française de l’Ontario, Conseil régional de London-Sarnia
- Community Services Coordination Network
- French Language Health Services
- Pathways
- Family Services Thames Valley
- Réseau franco-santé du Sud de l’Ontario
Our WrapAround program supports immigrant and francophone individuals, aged 55+, who are living in private homes but have few community or social supports – leaving them isolated and at higher risk of hospitalization or long-term care placement.
Concerned community agencies and organizations, family physicians, health care professionals, faith communities or family members can all refer isolated seniors to our WrapAround program. There is no cost to participants. Just call to refer, or complete our referral form.
A referred senior will be partnered with one of our WrapAround Facilitators. It is the Facilitator’s role to work with the senior and his or her family to form a WrapAround team. Team members, selected by the senior, may include friends, family members, neighbours, or service providers that the senior may or may not already be working with.
With the right combination of supports in place, seniors participating in the WrapAround program will find solutions to many of their day-to-day concerns and live happier, healthier lives in their own homes.
To learn more about WrapAround or to refer a senior to this innovative program, please call Dharshi Lacey, Coordinator, at (519) 660-0875 x 226 or email her at dlacey@lihc.on.ca
- WrapAround Fact Sheet for Partners and Health Care Providers (PDF – English)
- WrapAround Fact Sheet for Partners and Health Care Providers (PDF – Farsi)
- WrapAround Fact Sheet for Partners and Health Care Providers (PDF – French)
- WrapAround Fact Sheet for Partners and Health Care Providers (PDF – Spanish)
- WrapAround Fact Sheet for Partners and Health Care Providers (PDF – Arabic)
- WrapAround Fact Sheet for Partners and Health Care Providers (PDF – Bosnian)
- WrapAround Fact Sheet for Partners and Health Care Providers (PDF – Serbian)
- Brochure for Seniors and their Families (PDF – English)
Women of the World
The purpose of this multicultural women’s development program is to enable women to promote their own health and the health of other women through mutual support. The groups help women who are new to Canada to recognize their own skills, develop friendships and to become informed about services and people who may help them to adjust to life in Canada.
Women of the World currently has three components:
- Personal development training
- Volunteer facilitator training
- Community support groups
- Women of the World Support Groups, May 2011 (PDF)
- Women of the World Volunteer Facilitator Training, May 2011 (PDF)
Women of the World is funded by the United Way of London and Middlesex. For more information, please contact Vindu Balani, Coordinator, (519) 660-0874 x 251.
