Happy National Senior's Day

This year is the 15th anniversary of National Seniors Day in Canada. Please join us in celebrating and thanking the older adults in our lives for their contributions to our community. 

At NeighbourLink, our seniors programming is expanding, reaching more seniors in the neighbourhood than ever before. 

Last week, we hosted our first “Tech and Connect” event at The Kempford, a Toronto Seniors Housing residence in Willowdale. Residents enjoyed tea, coffee and snacks, while receiving free one-on-one tech support on their phones and other electronic devices. Many appreciated receiving this service in their preferred language, making everyone feel comfortable and supported.  

Technology can be a helpful tool for seniors, and our program aims to help them navigate their devices safely. Offering these sessions in a social setting alleviates isolation, another benefit of the program. 

We also celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival with our Chinese seniors community. Anna, a NeighbourLink volunteer, spearheaded this wonderful event. Senior volunteers came together to make mooncakes, using a traditional recipe that Anna’s family has cherished for over 50 years! We enjoyed these delicious treats with the residents of Willowdale Manor as they made beautiful paper lanterns. The lanterns and mooncakes symbolize family unity, gratitude for the fall harvest and the full moon. We are so grateful to share these traditions with our neighbours! Thank you to Anna and all the other seniors who took part in this celebration. 

We are also excited to introduce “FoodFit for Older Adults”. A national initiative focusing on cooking nourishing food, experiencing joyful movement and the social benefits of sharing a meal. NeighbourLink is honoured to be one of only 10 organizations across the country starting the program this year. We have recently begun our first 12-week session and will continue offering sessions throughout 2027 and 2028. Our first cohort of seniors are having so much fun, sharing laughter and great conversations as we cook and enjoy movement in our weekly classes.  

A big thank you to our volunteers, many of whom are seniors themselves, who make all of these events possible. If you would like to volunteer and support seniors in our community, sign up at www.neighbourlink.org/volunteer

Your donations help to keep these programs, which are free for seniors, running. Please consider contributing to these programs by visiting www.neighbourlink.org/donate

Wishing all seniors in the community a Happy National Seniors Day!