SUNDRE – Residents are invited to participate in a town hall intended not only to inform people about social prescribing but also help steer how it could take shape in the community.
The upcoming community engagement session follows on the heels of a fair that was organized by a Sundre society called Seniors Protected and Respected Under Community Engagement (S.P.R.U.C.E.) this past summer at the Sundre Community Centre.
Among the society’s objectives is to work on supporting healthy aging in Sundre and the surrounding community, said co-chair Jane Atkins.
“Over the last year, S.P.R.U.C.E. has hosted sessions with community-based service providers that were previously involved in the coordinated community response,” said Atkins, referring to a previous initiative launched in 2018.
The intent of those sessions was to introduce the concept of social prescribing, which is a Healthy Aging Alberta initiative, she said.
“An assessment tool was then used to see where the process was at in our community and accordingly, we decided to move forward by reaching out to the community to expand the understanding of social prescribing and how it contributes to healthy aging and aging in place,” she said.
Social prescribing is not only about providing a bridge between health-care providers and community services, but also a human touch through a Link worker who walks alongside a client through their journey.
“Although the model and funding for social prescribing is focused on older adults at this point, there is nothing to say that it cannot be expanded,” she said.
“There are aspects of the social prescribing concept already in play in the community.”
At the town hall that is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 19 from 7-8:30 p.m. at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch #223 in Sundre, representatives from organizations including Healthy Aging Alberta will provide insight into the approach that bridges a gap between medical and social care services and how this could potentially take shape in Sundre.
“Social prescribing offers an engaged approach for people who may require additional knowledge and support to get involved in suggested programs and services,” she said.
“One aspect of the program is a Link worker whose role will be explained, along with the importance of the community-based organizations.”
Atkins encourages anyone who might be interested in attending, regardless of their age.
“It is important for all ages to attend, as every day we are all aging and sooner or later we will all become the older adults benefiting from this initial implementation,” she said.
Additionally, she said input from different age demographics can only help improve how social prescribing develops as a concept into something more concrete for the community.
