A seniors advocacy group is hoping to preserve the memories of lonely older adults, and it’s deploying an army of high school teens to aid in the effort.
The Ontario-based Senior Wish Association recently launched what it’s calling the “Memories Project.” It pairs residents at long-term care facilities with local high school students to create books filled with their life stories.
Older adults are a treasure trove of recipes, jokes and memories, and the association is hoping to stop those tidbits from disappearing forever.
“We aren’t talking to each other as much anymore and so much knowledge is being lost,” Lucille Dalziel, communications director for Senior Wish Association, told Barrie Today.
Teens will work to compile old mementoes, such as photos and letters, into binders, which can be supplemented by family members. They’ve assembled about 30 books so far. The Memories Project has already started in South Barrie and Innisfil and will expand over the summer across most of Simcoe County, which is just north of the Greater Toronto Area.
