The SMART Fund
Currently Funded Programs - Seniors
Arts, Health and Seniors Project
Renfrew Park Community Association
Video Clip
Explores how involvement in the arts can improve the health and wellbeing of vulnerable seniors. This initiative also supports the development of new knowledge and expertise in the fields of seniors’ wellness, chronic disease management, and community-engaged arts.
This three-year pilot project documents the impact of involvement in the arts on the physical health, mental health and social connections of participant seniors, facilitating their ability to “age in place”, building new expertise amongst senior workers and artists in Vancouver and on the North Shore.
Community Seniors' Services
Renfrew-Collingwood Seniors’ Society
Provides a coordinated service to seniors that facilitate their participation in a luncheon and activity program which incorporates socialization, education, and recreation for isolated seniors and enhance autonomous, independent living skills in a manner that is inclusive and representative of the community demographics.
Kitsilano - Seniors Community Links Program
Kitsilano Neighbourhood House
Delivers low-cost community-based daily living supports for low-income, frail and isolated seniors living in Vancouver’s West Side and West End as well as Fairview Slopes/South Granville areas with the intention to assist seniors living independently in their own homes.
Kitsilano - Westside Seniors Peer Support Program
Kitsilano Neighbourhood House
Provides training and support of volunteer peer support counsellors for seniors to reduce isolation and encourage engagement in community activities for low-income and isolated seniors living on the Westside of Vancouver.
Generations Project
QMUNITY
Addresses the needs of aging and older LGTB people through age-specific and intergenerational program development and delivery, education within the LGTB communities and for service providers, and the development of transferable models for traditional agencies serving seniors. This program helps decrease isolation for aging and older LGTB people and builds community capacity through the provision of age specific assessment, counseling and referral, mentoring opportunities and cross-generational activities.
Life Unlimited: A Volunteer Support Program for Seniors with Age-related Disabilities
West End Seniors' Network Society
Provides isolated, low-income seniors living with age-related disabilities in Vancouver’s West End with a variety of practical volunteer support services which help to maintain or improve clients’ mental and physical health, quality of life and their ability to live independently in their own homes for as long as possible.
Neighbourhood Helpers Project
Vancouver Second Mile Society
Supports volunteers who provide outreach, social support, and practical aid to isolated seniors in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside and Downtown South neighbourhoods that allows them to age in their neighbourhood and be a part of their inner-city community.
Seniors Peer Counseling
West End Seniors Network Society
Trains and lends peer counselling support to an increasing number of older adults by helping them strengthen their coping mechanisms, teaching them new skills to identify those at risk of falling, being financially, physically or emotionally abused, or misusing alcohol and/or medications, so that seniors have an increased ability to function better and live in their own homes longer.
Seniors Healthy Community Project
Kiwassa Neighbourhood Services Association
Promotes the physical, social, cultural, and mental well being of seniors living in Northeast Vancouver through opportunities in volunteering, participating in community programs and learning about relevant health issues in a cross-cultural environment. Engages trained seniors as volunteers in health promotion activities to help connect isolated seniors and immigrant seniors to their community and local resources.
Seniors Housing Information Services
BC Seniors Services and Housing Information Society
Trains volunteers to provide a full spectrum of information and education services to enhance the awareness of service providers, housing managers and the public about the housing and related health needs of seniors and others on fixed incomes, thereby helping them to live independently.
Services for Seniors (SFS)
Jewish Family Service Agency of Vancouver
Provides nutritious Kosher meals to groups of frail, isolated Jewish seniors. Decreases social isolation and encourage mental and social stimulation, as well as connections to community resources. Also fosters connections within the larger Jewish community.
South Vancouver - Seniors Hub
South Vancouver Neighbourhood House
Develop and implement a senior’s hub in south-east Vancouver by and for seniors using the Neighbourhood House approach, where seniors activities are expanded in breadth and scope with a focus on intergenerational strategies. These activities will support seniors from all cultural backgrounds, increasing their ability to demonstrate leadership and participate in the community while ensuring that organizations and community members collaborate with and utilize the resources of the seniors hub.
South Vancouver Seniors Link Project
South Vancouver Neighbourhood House
Delivers a financially accessible daily living support service for isolated seniors living in South Vancouver and Midtown particularly those living on fixed incomes assisting them to live in their communities independently.
South Vancouver - Seniors Support Program
South Vancouver Neighbourhood House
Assists seniors in South Vancouver who are unable to access appropriate resources or participate in community activities due to chronic illness, frailty, or mental health concerns. Provides volunteer opportunities for seniors who wish to act in a peer capacity and provides information, referrals to partner organizations, and ongoing support to seniors in need.
Wheels to Meals
Hastings Community Centre
Targets reduction of isolation and promotes integration of seniors into the community, many of whom are living alone in the Hastings/Sunrise neighborhood. Integrates and offers health related services and information sessions for seniors. Helps to support and maintain independent, healthy and meaningful living for isolated seniors. Seniors play an active role in the design and implementation of the program.
