**** CNS Media Release
Support for Community Projects to Help Older Nova Scotians Stay Active
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Community groups are encouraged to create new projects to help Nova Scotia seniors be active and involved in their communities. Funding for projects is available through the annual Age-Friendly Communities Grant program, which is now open for applications.
“Seniors contribute so much to their communities and our province, and Seniors Week is a time to celebrate this,” said Barbara Adams, Minister of Seniors and Long-Term Care. “By supporting efforts to create age-friendly communities and promote healthy aging, this program is helping older Nova Scotians stay healthy, active and involved.”
The program supports organizations like the Seniors Association of St. Margaret’s Bay, which used its grant to create a drop-in program on Tuesdays. It offers a wide range of activities for seniors, from knitting, crocheting and rug hooking to board and card games, pickleball and walking laps indoors.
The grants also support provincewide initiatives like Dance Nova Scotia’s Dance for Health, which promotes the role of dance in a healthy lifestyle and focuses on issues specific to people living with Parkinson’s disease.
Applications are open until November 18 and will be reviewed and approved by the end of January. Groups eligible to apply include not-for-profit organizations and co-operatives, municipalities, First Nations communities and universities. Businesses and individuals are not eligible.
Quotes:
“Our age-friendly communities grant has been very helpful in enabling us to support the physical and mental health of seniors in St. Margaret’s Bay through our weekly drop-in program. The physical activities offered, like lap-walking, pickleball and soon, Nordic pole walking, help us all keep moving, and the social activities, such as crafts and games, help us combat social isolation. We are all benefiting from this program!”
– Pat Rodee, Vice-President, board of directors, Seniors Association of St. Margaret’s Bay
“Programs like Dance for Health: Parkinson’s are vital. The positive effects on the emotional and social aspects of the lives of those living with Parkinson’s is readily evident. The community created within the program provides much needed support and the structure of the classes help improve the confidence of participants.”
– Kenney Fitzpatrick, Executive Director, Dance Nova Scotia
Quick Facts:
— the Age-Friendly Communities Grant program provides grants of up to $25,000 for community-wide efforts to create age-friendly environments and promote healthy aging
— grants are awarded annually
— Seniors Week is October 1 to 8
Additional Resources:
More information on the program, lists of past grant recipients and the application form are available at: https://novascotia.ca/age-friendly-grant/
For more information on the Seniors Association of St. Margaret’s Bay, visit: https://bayseniors.ca/
For more information on Dance Nova Scotia’s Dance for Health initiative, visit: https://www.dancens.ca/what-we-do/dance-for-health/about-dance-for-health/
