The Golden Age
Senior Moments provides avenue for older people to share perspectives and information about aging
Senior Moments co-chairs Teresa Pulfer and Stephanie McKay“Age is a state of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.” So quipped a woman attending a recent presentation by Family Service Toronto’s Senior Moments team. Her comment could easily be the motto for the program, in which a group of seniors talk to their peers about the experiences of getting older.
Launched in 2004, Senior Moments sprung from a survey by FST’s Seniors’ Advisory Council, a group of volunteers who advise the agency on issues regarding seniors and caregivers.
“We did seven focus groups with a diverse population of seniors,” says Teresa Pulfer, co-chair of the Seniors’ Advisory Council and a Senior Moments speaker. “They helped us form our presentation content by sharing the positive aspects and their concerns about growing older in today’s society. When we compiled all the information we found that there were a number of issues and topics that kept recurring. We picked a handful, developed the presentations and we take that information out into the community.”
Senior Moments speaking engagements take place, upon request, anywhere that seniors may gather. The team covers such topics as discrimination, emotional and family changes, accessibility, resources for seniors, cultural differences, government services and the public portrayal of seniors. “We’re flexible and adapt the presentation to the audience. We find that getting down and personal with seniors is often the most effective way to present,” say Stephanie McKay, Teresa’s co-chair on the advisory council and also a program presenter.
Each member of the six-person presentation team covers a different topic, but everyone is well-versed in all subject areas so they can back each other up in the event of illness or other circumstances. The group welcomes more volunteers on the Senior Moments team, and is actively recruiting.
A Chance to Hear and Be Heard Senior Moments attendees benefit from hearing about others who are experiencing what they themselves are going through. “When we talk to the audiences, there is a nod of agreement or a smile – a sense of “yeah, I know where you’re coming from,” says Teresa, who also notes that attendees may simply need validation of their experiences. “Today, a woman observed that she didn’t have as much energy as she used to. I was able to tell her that it was OK, that it’s the quality of the energy and what she does with it that matters. We try to focus on the positive stuff.”
Even in a city where residents often speak about diversity as one of its greatest strengths, age can sometimes be forgotten as a a form of diversity that should be celebrated. “People think that if you have grey hair, you’re decrepit and you suddenly don’t know anything,” says Teresa. “But I know a lot of older people who are sharp as tacks. It’s important to keep active in your mind and body and we encourage that in our presentations.”
Senior Moments seeks to help individuals make the most of their senior years, no matter what their personal situation. Moving forward, the group hopes to get funding for peer support work around the issue of elder abuse. “Safety is a big issue for seniors, particularly senior women,” says Stephanie.
Adds Teresa, “Unfortunately, in some cases, the very people the seniors trust the most are the people doing the abuse. Some women unfortunately grew up in an environment in which the man was dominant, so they didn’t find out how to make important contacts, how to get assistance for housing, for example, or even simple things like writing cheques. We want to help with that.”
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