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w at er lo oc hr on ic le .c a W at er lo o C hr on ic le | T hu rs da y, A pr il 15 ,2 02 1 | 10 Happy National Volunteer Week! Caring for our community at home. 519-772-8787 communitysupportconnections.org Our 700 volunteers make a difference in the community, helping over 6,600 of our neighbours to live happily and healthy in the comfort of their own homes. Thank you volunteers for all that you do! Stay Safe Lead the Way! Waterloo Wellington Older Adult Strategy Follow on Twitter @WWOlderAdults During these times, it is important to acknowledge the loss of things that once seemed so normal - be that the loss of physical closeness and companionship, a sense of community and fellowship, hugging our loved ones, being able to make meaningful contributions in our communities through regular volunteering or the loss of our ability to move about freely and do many of things we love. Grieving any kind of a loss takes emotional energy and time. This is normal. Give yourself the space to make sense of your feelings. Thankfully, these losses are only temporary. Recognize that others are experiencing these losses too and that this is shared across our society. Here are seven things you can do to help copewith loss. 1. List the ways the that your friends and family touch, influence and/or enrich your life. 2. Do what you can to support others who may be experiencing these and other losses. 3. Continue to nurture and draw on your faith and spirituality as a source of hope. 4. Make a list of what matters most in your life; ground yourself and find strength in that. 5. Find a windowwith a view to take in the 'outside world'. Appreciate the nature around you. 6. Take time to get some fresh air. 7. Begin and end your day with hopeful and positive thoughts. Brighter Days Lie Ahead! Our community celebrates and thanks older adults for all they do. We'll be together again soon. TOP 3 THINGS YOU CAN DO TO REDUCE AGEISM IN OUR COMMUNITY: 1. Examine our own biases. Listen towhat you say to yourself and others and bemindful ageist comments. Saying "I don't have as much energy as I used to, I must be getting old " to your children or "I am having a senior's moment" plant the seeds that aging is a time of deterioration. Of course, this is not true and it contributes to negative stereotypes. 2. Look for opportunities to foster positive interactions between older adults and youth. Intergenerational activities help to prevent ageism by providing opportunities for older adults and younger people to learn about each other, build healthy relationships and foster sharing, understanding and mutual respect. 3. Commit to educating yourself about aging. Everyone is unique. Making general assumptions and statements about aging reinforces stereotypes. Older adults vary in their age, health and cognitive status, education and economic status, living arrangements, family structures, sexual orientation, religious beliefs and lifestyle choices. Everyone deserves quality of life. Let's all think about adding lifeto years, not just years to life. Every day. In everyway. OlderAdults Matter! WEALL BENEFIT BECAUSE THEY: • volunteer more than any other age group to improve the lives of community members of all ages • provide countless caregiving and childcare hours to their family members and others they love, care about and support • make more charitable contributions per capita than any other age group • shop locally, support the arts, pay their taxes • share their strength, knowledge and experiences to instill hope Older adults have and continue to contribute to our community in so many ways. They are valued, productive and engaged members of our community.