[News] Link workers are icebreakers connecting clients with community

SUNDRE – Sometimes, a senior who perhaps has become isolated as a result of mental or physical health issues simply needs a little help to break out of their shell so they can once again shine.

That’s where what are known as Link workers can play a crucial role.

Courtesy of a society in Sundre called Seniors Protected and Respected Under Community Engagement (S.P.R.U.C.E.), a seniors’ fair was hosted on Thursday, June 6 at the Sundre Community Centre in conjunction with Seniors’ Week, which was observed June 3-9. The event featured some live entertainment and door prizes along with numerous exhibitors from senior service organizations as well as three presentations.

The final presentation of the day was about social prescribing, with Rebecca Aspden, a coordinator with Healthy Aging Alberta, outlining what that is all about. More than half a dozen people sat in to learn more about the subject.

“We’re hoping to learn what the community would like social prescribing to look like, and what gaps and services they hope it would fill,” Aspden told the Albertan.

She also hoped to impart the understanding that social prescribing is about much more than providing an official link between health-care providers and community services.

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