The Town of Crossfield is launching a monthly connection kit for seniors to help them stay spry this spring, including puzzles, colouring pages, crafts, tongue twisters, and more.
The free kits stocked full of writing prompts, origami, and brainteasers are available to seniors in the Crossfield area, according to Nicole Vandenberghe, Family Community and Support Services (FCSS) and community development coordinator at the Town of Crossfield.
She said the idea originally stemmed from another municipality’s successful senior kit program.
"I was researching what other municipalities do with their programs and that one had caught my eye and I had reached out to [the Town of Edson],” she said. “It has been a successful program for them.
“They were very, very nice, sharing the program with me and what they do to help us get started with the program here.”
Vandenberghe said the Town of Crossfield has been working hard this year to place a special focus on senior residents, especially those who are coming out of an extended period of social isolation during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’ve had a lot of social isolation for a lot of people, and I know our seniors have been hit pretty hard with this as well,” she said. “So, I'm trying to think of ways we can boost morale and make them have something to look forward to.
“It’s really more about combating social isolation and giving them action in the community.”
She added seniors can come pick up a kit at one of two pick-up locations in the community. If they are unable to pick one up in person, Vandenberghe said she can deliver the kits to the residents, if they live within Crossfield town limits.
“If they’re unable to leave or anything like that, I’ll do a door drop-off for them,” she said.
Vandenberghe said one of the pick-up locations will be the Golden Key 50+ Club in Crossfield, adding she will coincide drop-offs with the club’s regularly scheduled morning coffee time.
“I’ll take them in at the start of their coffee program on that day so that people can not [only] pick them up, but while they’re there, they can stay and visit with some other seniors in town and have coffee with them as well,” she said.
Alternatively, residents can pick up a connection kit at the Town of Crossfield administration office at 1005 Ross Street or reach out to Vandenberghe directly by calling her at 403-946-5565 ext. 262 or emailing her at [email protected].
She said the deadline for signing up for a June connection kit will be May 13. The kits will be available on June 6, coinciding with the first day of Seniors Week in 2022.
“The week after will be the deadline to register for July, which will give me time to put the kits together,” she said. “I will put more notices out when we get closer to that date to remind people if they want the next month’s kit, they can sign up by that day.”
