Chestermere’s annual Seniors Week received an overwhelming amount of participation and support from seniors in the Chestermere area.
“Seniors Week went extremely well, we feel like there was something for everyone, it was diverse and inclusive,” said Seniors and Community Development Facilitator, Sharron Matthewman.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Seniors Week programs and activities were held online, such as a virtual boat tour hosted by the Chestermere Historical Foundation, Punjabi and Greek cooking demonstrations, the history of Chestermere Hall, a beginner’s ukulele lesson, therapy dogs, chakras, crystal healing, and Reiki, community resources offered through the city, core strength to help with back pain, armchair yoga and meditation, how to downsize, and entertainment including a flash mob video, and piano bar sing-along.
“Although most people are probably tired of virtual events, we really applaud the participants who attended throughout the week, and we hope everyone was able to have a takeaway from each learning opportunity and activity,” Matthewman said.
“The whole week was fantastic, the majority of events went really well,” she said.
The viewing of the Great Disconnect documentary and panel question and answer period went especially well, with more than 85 participants and showing as far as Sydney Australia.
“The documentary highlights the digital age and how it’s affected our society in terms of social isolation. The purpose of the screening was to engage the community in discussions on how the age of loneliness has affected our well-being, and how social, economic and urban planning play a role in our day-to-day life,” Matthewman said.
Adding, “The topic was especially prevalent due to the current pandemic and how much quarantine has affected social well-being.”
Throughout Seniors Week, Matthewman heard a lot of positive feedback from participants saying it was an amazing week, and from surrounding municipalities saying the lineup of activities and programs was great.
For the City of Chestermere, it’s extremely important to host Seniors Week as the week gives
the opportunity to acknowledge, recognize, and celebrate older adult’s contributions to the community and strength, resiliency, and diversity.
“Seniors are our backbone, they’ve spent countless hours supporting family, and friends, volunteering, and charity work,” Matthewman said.
Although Seniors Week was successful, Matthewman is looking forward to doing the week-long activities and programs in person in 2022.
