The young people from the Sainte-Marie school and the seniors from the CHSLD of Saint-Marc-des-Carrières had a very unifying experience. A group of 160 young schoolchildren came to meet 54 seniors from the accommodation center. Together, they sowed a community garden and much happiness.
“The project was born from a desire to open up our accommodation centres to the community,” revealed Claudine Rivard, responsible manager of the living environment and head of the living unit at CHSLD Saint-Marc. “We wanted to make the leisure activities that our residents used to have at home accessible again.”
This activity, which was intended to be warm, was at the same time a return to the sources, a return to the land capable of coming to find them.
We were looking for an activity that would be accessible to all age groups, that would be motivating and that would build links between age groups.
A key activity
“The idea of gardening seemed like a key activity to us. Most seniors at the time had large gardens in their yards,” recalls Ms. Rivard.
Officials have done some reading on the subject and have been able to confirm that such activity reduces anxiety and depressive symptoms.
The idea was to solicit the cognitive functions of the elderly in planning, organization as well as the motor functions of balance and apprehension.
“We started the project,” explains Ms. Rivard. We had established partners in the community. It was the Sainte-Marie de Saint-Marc school that responded with 160 students who came last Friday (June 14) to our inauguration. »
Magical moment
The moment was magical, magnificent, according to the manager, with music, a snack and the presence of the residents’ committee.
Elders showed the younger ones how it worked, how we do that. The objective of opening doors to the community was achieved.
One resident said it had been 30 years since she had played in the dirt. Delighted and with dirty hands, she said she was very happy to have so many young people around her.
Manager Claudine Rivard with participating residents, employees and children. Photo: Offered by CIUSSS Capitale-Nationale
Harvest Festival
A harvest festival will be held at the end of summer. The school, daycare and other partners will harvest the crops and serve a common snack.
“We got off to a good start and we spread smiles during that day, it was really magnificent,” proclaims the manager.
During the time the gardening activity lasted between 2 and 3 hours, a total of 80 adults including participating residents were present alongside the students.
Mobilizing project
The Portneuf Health Foundation contributed to the project with a donation of $2,500, which made it possible to purchase planters and outdoor furniture.
The project was mobilizing, one person donated a greenhouse and Métro Saint-Marc donated plants.
“That’s the spirit of a small community,” says Ms. Rivard. “Everyone is so proud.”
Plus d’interaction
As the media relations manager explains, there are other gardens in other CHSLDs, but in Saint-Marc, it’s new.
“We are very much in this approach in our different living environments, according to Annie Ouellet. We want to create more interaction with the community and if possible in an intergenerational way. So that we can really allow seniors to continue their social relationships.”
It’s about building relationships, talking, going straight for it, simply having exchanges and seeing where that takes us.
“As much in the reflections on both sides, concludes Claudine Rivard, we have grown.”
