The gifts of grey hair
“O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds. So even to old age and grey hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to all the generations to come” (Psalm 71:17-18). I have grey hair; this is where life has placed me. I am…
An indoor yard sale says a lot about St. Clair O’Connor
It’s the morning of May 10 at about 11 a.m., and in the large meeting room of the St. Clair O’Connor Community in Toronto there are about 10 residents examining a myriad of cardboard boxes containing both “gently used items” and others that could charitably be called junk. The former are being placed on sale…
In sickness and in health
When Bill and Ena married, it was the obvious next step for two best friends. Working together as teachers, they saw their love blossom. After retirement, Bill and Ena headed to China to bring their teaching skills to a new set of students. It was in China that Bill began to notice a decline in…
Making every day matter
Santa Claus came to Nithview Community one Christmas Day. This may not seem like a big deal since Santa goes to lots of places at Christmas. But this Santa did not fit the usual stereotype. He was short, clean-shaven and not overweight. He was also known as Owen and was only five years old. Owen was…
Learning from her elders
For Lacey MacKenzie, working with seniors is a faith calling. The 33-year-old attends Osler Mennonite Church in Saskatchewan and has worked as the activities coordinator for Bethany Manor’s personal-care home in Saskatoon since December 2017. Staff members clean suites, help residents bathe and take medicine, and make sure all their basic needs are met. Some…
Still the same inside
For Anita Lehmann, home is the dementia unit at the Mennonite Nursing Home. But unlike most of the unit’s 29 other residents, Lehmann doesn’t suffer from dementia. When it became evident she needed care, Lehmann took the only room available in the 68-bed facility, which happened to be in what staff refer to as the…
A soon-to-be favourite recipe
We all have our favourite recipes. There is the tried and true. Or there’s the newly created ones that are fun to test and then turn into classics. One tried and true combination in life is older adults and children, yet it is a combination that may not be as common as either group would…
