The construction zone around Rotacrest Hall is now done and the improvements look great with easier access and parking for the upper level. This was a Regional District of Central Kootenay improvement project.
Despite the heat and smoke in August, participation and engagement at the Therapeutic Activation Program for Seniors carried on and, of course, some folks were affected more than others. Now fall is nipping at our heels with garden harvest from the greenhouse and Harvest Share adding fresh choices to our meals. Thanks, Clayton, for all your hard work.
We want to thank Rivannah Beddall for her contribution as our Summer Work student to our ongoing programs and for helping get us set up for the fall. Her cheerful and enthusiastic manner earned her a place in our hearts.
Here’s another happy 100th birthday wish to Stanley Wedge, who was well celebrated by family and friends at the New Life Christian Church. At TAPS birthdays are usually celebrated by the month, picking one lunchtime to acknowledge them with cake and singing and sometimes surprises.
Welcome also to Wendy Proskow as the new assistant co-ordinator. As a previous Summer Work student, many folks remember her and are happy to have her smiling face, presence and the skills she brings to this vital and diverse role. She has a lot to contribute, learning to drive the bus and being part of the cooking team, as well as supporting our seniors and carrying out the many tasks of the program with co-ordinator Bridget Currie.
It’s easy to take the team for granted when the days and weeks go by with such a variety of programs and services. So we want to acknowledge Susan Langstaff and Nellie, our bus drivers and support staff, our group of regular volunteers who show up every week or on call to help with meals, dishes, programs and whatever else is needed. Whatever is needed right now is the shooting of the scenes for the next TAPS fundraising calendar for 2016. All I can say is, we are having a lot of fun! Watch for it this fall around town.
In addition, we are continuing with our Moving Along Together program for folks experiencing memory changes and their family caregivers. Contact TAPS for more information or to register for this twice-a-week eight-week free program at TAPS, starting Sept. 14. The spring session of this program funded by a Columbia Basin Trust Social Grant was well received.
Over the summer we worked with Grizzly Bear Daycare and continuing throughout the year, we will be working with youth from a variety of school programs, connecting youth and seniors in sharing and documenting memories and stories in a variety of ways. The results of their collaborations will be displayed or presented in the community with dates and locations to be announced. Thanks to the Province of BC’s New Horizons for Seniors (NHFS) program for funding toward this project.
In June, Nelson-Creston MLA Michelle Mungall hosted a Dementia Friends workshop at the Creston Valley Seniors Association hall. Through the Province of BC and the Alzheimer’s Society of BC, it is designed to bring awareness, sensitivity and communication tools for communities to recognize signs of impaired cognition, understand the needs of people affected and help break down fears as a way to make communities more dementia friendly. Anyone can become a dementia friend or ambassador; go to dementiafriends.ca for information. Bridget attended the session in June and has begun incorporating the information gained into mini-workshops for our TAPS participants, families and volunteers. If any group would like a short presentation, please contact TAPS.
Good news on the Krafty Kronys (KK) side of things. With TAPS moving to this new location at the Rotacrest Hall, the KK have been looking for months for a new home to store their supplies and have a gathering place. They have been tireless champions of TAPS since the beginning of the program through their fundraising efforts: baking pies, volunteering their time and selling handcrafted items. With the generosity of and in collaboration with Mike Poznikoff, owner of Creston Card and Stationery, they are soon to move into their new digs in the basement of the store on Canyon Street. More news on this to follow.
Maureen Cameron is the community liaison development co-ordinator for the Therapeutic Activation Program for Seniors. For more information on TAPS, run by Valley Community Services, call 250-428-5585.
