Enriching the Lives of Seniors Together Elizabeth Bufton

Enriching the Lives of Seniors Together Elizabeth Bufton Janet Graham Heather Kenehan

What we will accomplish today? • • • Our common customers – who are they? What does a senior centre look like? What does a library look like? Partnerships: what does it mean? When do we program independently? Program ideas you can really use Untried programs from other places Inviting, cultivating and using volunteers Some useful books and websites

Our Common Customers • Which restaurant tonight? • Corner Gas • Go away I don’t want to fill our your questionnaire! • Earth Muffins • Love sports, hate doing ‘em • Love sports, love doing ‘em • I love books

Senior Centre • What does a senior centre look like now? – More than just a place to play cards • What do older adult centres offer? – Focus is on active living – Offer a variety of fitness, sports, mental and social health activities • Partner with outside agencies – Offer travel and theatre

Senior Centre (cont’d) • About 20% of Seniors attending centre fall outside the 65 - 75 age bracket • Outreach program for frail seniors Bring them in to senior centre monthly • Goal: keep seniors active, fit and socially connected

The Library • What does a library look like now? – More than just fiction - many seniors do not realize libraries have movies, music, audio books, and databases • What can a library reasonably offer? – Programs to help seniors utilize ALL our resources including online databases – Special interest educational programs that are fun, low preparation and low cost – Number of programs offered depends on budget, rooms and staffing

The Library (cont’d) – Ask experts to present workshops - either volunteer or organizational representatives (Library does not allow sales pitches) – Set parameters – Barrie does not offer refreshments as have on site café. • Visiting Library Service volunteer model – VLS uses volunteers to deliver pre-selected items; cooperation between Info & Circ services • Goal: enhance senior literacy and lifelong learning

Partnership Overview Getting ready for partnerships • • Competing demands Educational and leisure activities – Who does what? – When do you duplicate services? – When do you specialize? • • Using our resources more effectively Reservoir of skills Using surveys A coordinated and effective plan

Competing Demands • Same seniors – Can only attend one program at a time • Same “tax pot” – We are both funded primarily from taxes • Sometimes same presenters – Polar bear man, Alzheimer’s Society • Senior Centre must break even, both want low cost or no cost programs when possible • Varying service boundaries – Barrie/Oro, Barrie/Springwater

Education and Leisure • What we do depends on our: – facilities, expertise, and mandate • Goals – Recreational, social, educational • Planning ahead is necessary for our media – Senior centre: 6 – 8 months ahead – Library: 3 – 6 months ahead • Duplication needed when large demand

Using Our Resources • What we have – Demand time – Budget, user fees if collected – Skills, experience, and knowledge of staff • What is available in the community – Interagency knowledge – Local experts: college/university, volunteer • Grants – some basic ideas – Senior Secretariat (Ontario) – New Horizons For Seniors (Federal)

Partnerships - Surveys • Surveys – both a blessing and a curse – Need to be carefully prepared – Contain structured and open questions – Must be short and clear – Reach both program users and non users • Use surveys as a guide and not an absolute – Patron may respond to try to please you – Patron interests and times available may change • Read a book or study other surveys 1 st

Partnerships programs that work for us • Seniors Directory – Information centre is in Library so they assist with directory items of interest to seniors – In cooperation with local newspaper – low cost • Seniors Fun Day Interagency annual project – 3 styles to date Entertainment, Senior Idol, Speed friendshipping • Book Clubs – offered in both locations due to space and time constraints – Library allows younger adults to join as well

Partnership programs (cont’d) • Internet Courses – Short courses (1 -2 lessons) offered free by Library staff so library users can utilize computers and online resources at library – 10 week paid courses (word, power point, e-mail) offered to help seniors become knowledgeable about technology – instructors paid by City • Advertising – Utilize each others notice boards and web sites – Be a pick-up-point for each others newsletters – Referrals and word of mouth

Non-partnered Programming • Library programs that worked in the past: – With speakers: health programs, gardening, travel, genealogy, history (including town crier), author visits – With staff: internet, reading contests, sudoku, scrabble, book talks (history, mystery) • Library programs that did not work for us: – Adult summer reading, general book talks, video programs without speaker, jazz

Maximize your good health by attending the Presented by health professionals on selected Tuesday Mornings at 10: 00 a. m. during the winter Tuesday, January 24, 10: 00 – 11: 15 a. m. How do you know if a family member is experiencing normal memory loss, or is in the early stages of something more serious? Laura Lynn Bourassa of the Alzheimer Society of Simcoe County will speak on this subject. Tuesday February 21, 10: 00 – 11: 00 a. m Alison Liikane, and other members of the RVH Healthy Aging Program will present information on falls prevention, medication use, hydration, exercise, and nutrition. Learn tips on staying healthy from the pros at RVH. Tuesday, March 21, 10: 00 – 11: 00 a. m. Can you spot the signs of early hearing loss? Learn how to recognize the signs and the adaptations you can make at home or out and about if you, or a loved one, has a hearing problem. Jo Wagg of the Canadian Hearing Society will also discuss when someone may need a hearing aid.

GET GROWING WITH THE MASTER GARDENERS at Barrie Public Library - our 6 th season. All workshops will be held: in the ANGUS ROSS ROOM Tuesday Mornings 10: 00 -11: 00 a. m. April 3 Water Wise Gardens – do less watering April 24 Gardening in Shade & Part Shade Wednesday Evenings 7: 00 -8: 30 p. m. April 18 Pruning May 2 Container Gardening All workshops are free, but you must register as garden topics are of great interest & we have limited space. Please register for each workshop you wish to attend by phoning 728 -1010; press 5 for program registration & listen to gardening options. Registration begins by phone on March 19

The Invisible Web Sudoku For Adults Do you Sudoku? Join us and learn to do 4, 6 and even 9 square Sudoku puzzles with words and numbers. An aptitude for math or numbers is not necessary – just a willingness to have fun! Sudoku rules are easy to learn. The more puzzles you do the better you become. Let us show you some great tips and shortcuts. . But be warned: Sudoku puzzles can be addictive! This program is for adults. Wednesday Nov 28 th @ 2: 00 pm Learn how to access e-books, newspaper and magazine databases, downloadable audiobooks, and online encyclopedias from the Library's website. Use the Community Information Database and Calendar to find out about community groups and events in Barrie. Thursday March 6 7: 00 to 8: 00 p. m.

Around the World in 60 minutes held in the Angus Ross Room Include logos/visuals for each series Get the Basics on using the Internet

Senior Centre Programs that would work in a Library • Play reading – met weekly to read radio plays but not enough men for male parts. – Recommend it as a short term program, meeting once or twice monthly for 6 months. Try to recruit some men. • Drama group – met for 6 months to a year and performed only for themselves some short plays. Need plays with few props and small set requirements.

New Opportunities – low cost programs • Volunteer pool • Current events discussion group • Collaboration with visiting library services and friendly visiting programs • Series offered at both locations • Live reading of books

Innovative models that have worked elsewhere • Lecture: 3 rd age learning Partner with college or university • Intergenerational programming • Combining your publications • The big event: Information fairs – This is something we are working toward in our interagency group. The appeal will be both to seniors and to their adult children.

Our Common Volunteers Who is volunteering and what do they want? • Volunteers are changing – Most do not want repetitive tasks – Want to set their own days/times they will work • Episodic volunteers – Special events like fun day – For one speaker in a series (annual commitment) • Locating Speakers – Contact local non-profit groups – Network with staff, friends, and patrons

Print and Web Resources • Honnold, Rose. Mary & Saralyn A. Mesaros. Serving Seniors: a how to do it manual for librarians. New York: Neal Shuman Publishers Inc, 2004. • Mates, Barbara T. Programming and Services for Your 55+ Library Customers. Chicago: ALA, 2003. • A Portrait of Seniors in Canada Report (2006 Stats Canada) infostats@statcan. ca or http: //www. statcan. ca/english/freepub/89 -519 -XIE/89519 -XIE 2006001. pdf • http: //www. citizenship. gov. on. ca/seniors/ ontario seniors’ secretariat

Print and Web Resources (cont’d) • www. statcan. ca (Go to the link, Seniors, on the home page for a report on continuous learning, work and participation in society). • www. Canada. Who. Cares. ca • www. lindagraff. ca • http: //www. thirdagelearningguelph. ca • www. oacao. org • http: //www. unitedgenerations. ca/index. cfm? fuseaction =toolkit. main • http: //www. givingandvolunteering. ca/reports. asp

What can you start doing immediately? • Check to see which health or non-profit groups in your area would be willing to speak at your library • Ask if staff members have expertise in specific areas they would be willing to share with patrons • Write a survey to test where interest in senior programming is concentrated in your area • Go online and do preliminary check of possible grants