Community Café Coming To Piccadilly Next Week

Nov 23, 2022

Rural Frontenac Community Services (RFCS) is trying something new. COVID has had a large impact on services for seniors that the agency offers in Central and North Frontenac. One of them has been an increase in demand for Meals on Wheels, which resulted in adding an extra day each week to hot meal delivery around the vast territory that volunteer drivers cover. Another was the suspension of the congregate Diners program, which incorporated a meal and entertainment/information for people aged 60 or over. The program ran once a week, rotating between small communities such as Ompah, Plevna, Arden and Parham.

When the time came this past summer to start preparing for a return to Diners after a three-year COVID related hiatus, the demand for Meals on Wheels had not slowed down. The kitchen facilities and staffing is shared by the RFCS Daycare, Meals on Wheels, and Diners.

“We did not have the capacity to keep up what we are already doing, and cater the Diner’s program as well,” said Juana Gramajo, the Program Outreach Co-ordinator for the Community Support Services (CSS) basket of services that RFCS offers for seniors.

Gramajo has been working with RFCS staff on an alternative program, the Community Café program, to provide a more informal opportunity for seniors to gather and visit together in the communities that RFCS serves.

Community Café’s were held across the region in October, with informative presentations from a variety of presenters, along with wellness checks from the Frontenac Paramedicine Program, when they are available

“Once the first few Community Cafe’s were under our belt, we have been working to further develop the program and arrange for speakers that are of interest to the people who have attended,” said Gramajo.

The next set of Café’ events will kick off next Wednesday, (November 30) at the Piccadilly Hall in the Godfrey area. It will feature a fire safety presentation by Central Frontenac Fire Chief Chris McDonough. Doors open at 11am, and in addition to coffee and treats there will be soup following the presentation.

Pam Lemke from the Alzheimer’s Society will be the guest on December 7, in Ompah. She will speak about dementia and caregiver services. It also starts at 11.

And on December 15, at the Oso Hall in Sharbot Lake, John Pariselli will demonstrate Tai Chi, a representative from the Frailty network will be on hand. And there will be live music and some Christmas cheer to boot.

“I’m already working on events for January,” she said, “and we are hoping to establish regular times each month in the different communities so people will know when the café’s are coming up.”