Working with Seniors is More than Home Care and Handivans

It’s difficult to take over from someone after they've put 30 years into the job, especially in a position that relies as heavily on trust and relationships as working with seniors does, but Michelle Ferguson has slipped almost seamlessly into the role of resource coordinator for HAND (Home Assistance Neepawa and District). That’s probably the result of her lifelong background in home care and volunteerism in the community. She says that from day one on the job, people have felt comfortable calling her to address their needs.

A lot of what HAND does is intended to allow seniors to stay in their own homes longer, not just for their own quality of life and comfort but because care homes in the area are full and home care is overwhelmed.

Some of the programs they offer have been around for a long time. Providing and installing Lifeline, a medical alert system, is one of those programs, as is the community meal program, which made a pivot to pick-up only last year due to public health concerns but still provides daily home cooked meals to senior members of the community.

There is a laundry list of other assistance programs they can connect a person with, however, up to and including laundry itself. HAND offers a free income tax program for low-income seniors, and also a wheelchair and handicap permit lending service, particularly useful when getting rides to and from things such as medical appointments. Other assistance might include housekeeping, snow removal, lawn care, or hairdressing.

“Basically, if there’s something that you need, just please call me and I will try my best to get it set up for you,” says Ferguson.

Needs doesn’t mean just physical needs. Ferguson’s background in home care has given her a lot of insight into the emotional and mental needs of seniors as well. Sometimes the simplest things, like human touch, can help someone to thrive, she says.

One of the new programs she wants to bring in addresses all three of those areas. Cardio drumming for seniors adapts the cardio drumming workshop - drumming on exercise balls - to people of all abilities and mobilities. The program is both physical and social, and the experience of music can be particularly lifting.

Ferguson stresses that she really does want area seniors to give her a call, no matter what their needs might be, and to not hesitate to use her as a resource. She enjoys the time spent with people and considers the interaction to be a two-way relationship.

“Seniors are not a burden,” she says. “Not a bit.”